He can't Be From Berk Right ?
by helioswindmax
Summary: An alternative way the story could have gone. Deviates from the movie after Hiccup finishes Toothless's saddle, just before they take to the skies ! Obviously I don't own HTTYD... Oh and realism is a big thing in my mind...So no HiccStrid...Sorry. Some minor violence and swearing, for now...
1. Proloque

** Prologue**

 **What you are reading now, is, unfortunately the product of boredom mixed with some httyd.  
** **I've imagined an alternate story deviating from the first film, just as hiccup has finished toothless's prosthetic.  
I'm a man ( or rather a boy ) of realism and detail, which means I will change some aspects of the story to make it more plausible ( mostly with the dragon flying ). Furthermore, I love the universe of httyd and I will do my best not to butcher it and to keep the the characters...Well... In character.**

 **Rant over.**

* * *

Hiccup opened his eyes

The first thing he saw was the slanted wooden ceiling of his room, and the early morning light seeping through the window.  
He could hear the active village life outside, a Viking day starts early and the village was already active.

He sat up and swung his giddy legs over the side of his bed. he rubbed the gunk out of his eyes, and stared through his  
hair that cascaded down his brow, over to his desk/workstation.

The desk was littered with papers, drawings and schematics of all sorts. More were pinned to the wall like leaves, depicting  
machines for slicing, dicing, shooting or whacking, all the things Vikings love. In fact, almost all the machines he made were  
to impress his father and fellow Vikings.

His stomach grumbled, dragging him back to reality. He got dressed, had a Viking breakfast which consisted of what Hiccup  
supposed were the leftovers they've been having for a week along with some bread, put his boots on, and walked out the front door

* * *

The great wooden door to his house crashed behind him as the boy clumsily stumbled down the steps to his house in direction of the forge.  
The village was bustling with life, and as the fish-bone-looking-boy staggered through the village plaza half awake. A familiar, yet unpleasant  
voice met his ears.

"Hey _U_ _seless_! Looks like you slept in late this morning... did you wet the bed and have to replace the sheets ?"

"Good morning to you too..." Hiccup mumbled as he trudged away, quickening his pace and ignoring the snickers and mocking smiles shot at his back

Snotlout always greets him this way, backed up by the Twins and Astrid. Astrid was the worst, she rarely humiliates him compared to the others,  
but when she does it hurts. Otherwise she just gives him this stare that's sharper than her axe and smiles every time Snotlout picks on him.

Hiccup got to the forge, and put his shoulder to the door and pried open the door. He can't open it otherwise.

The heat submerged him as he stepped in. In the centre of the room stood the hearth, blazing with life, and his one legged master, Gobber. Also blazing with life...

" Ah, Hiccup you're up ! " he said, not interrupting the hammering of a sword against an anvil with his hammer add-on fixed to his interchangeable  
prosthetic." Ya' sure took ya' time te get here, eh lad ? Did ya' stay up late again last night or are ye just gettin' lazy ? "

" Uh... rough night...didn't sleep well..." Hiccup replied,still rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand, not totally awake yet.

" Well, ye still have to work ! " Continued Gobber, throwing a sword into hiccup's weak arms, the boy buckled under the weight " Sword. Sharpen. Now. "

Hiccup sighed as he dragged the sword over to the grindstone and started sharpening, one hand on the hilt, the other on the flat of the blade. He hated  
sharpening swords.

The thin boy was done soon enough, and dropped the sword with a clatter into the pile of weapons that lay by the door, before heading to his small room at the back of the forge.  
He passed through the tattered cloth curtain and slumped down on his stool head resting on the desk in his arms.

He sighed.

The little refuge was a place for him to hide and invent without being disturbed, the only furniture was a desk, a stool and some shelves. Quite like his bedroom, the desk  
was covered in designs and schematics, drawings of the greatest detail carelessly littered across the desk and pinned to the wall above.

Hiccup's feet hit something under his desk as he leaned back on his stool. He tilted his head, peering at the pile of equipment he spent the night working on. _Soon...Soon we'll take to the skies my friend._  
The boy had worked tirelessly on the contraption, a mechanical tail-fin for his crippled friend. And a saddle with a harness to keep him on, he planned on attaching the  
extremity of the tail-fin to his left foot with some rope.

 _Seems simple enough...yank on the rope and the fin deploys. Easy peasy._ He told himself

Soon enough he would know what it was to soar the skies and fly like the wind. Above the clouds. _Above_ Berk _, Away_ from berk

* * *

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed the _tiny_ prologue that I wrote in less than an hour... I doubt you did.**

 ** _Again,_ this is just me being bored and trying something out so don't expect much cus' I know I don't  
I would love it if you review ! Although I would have to agree with you that I don't deserve you people dedicating some of  
you're precious time to comment my pathetic excuse for a story, let alone read it !**

 **Chap 1 in a couple of days...**

 **Good day / night !**


	2. Chapter 1 : Test Drive

**Chapter 1**

 **Greetings ! I am back. I sorry...I couldn't stop myself...I wrote another chapter...  
Just to be clear :**

 **Bold text is dragon speech. Although Hiccup doesn't understand Toothless, their bond is so  
strong that he can get the general meaning through tone and body language and just knowing  
Toothless so well. Toothless on the other hand, understands most of what Hiccup says... He's a  
smart dragon.**

 **(Stoick isn't back from the nest raid yet)**

 **Also, I don't want to sound demanding, but I would appreciate it A LOT if you could rate my chapter out of 10 or 20 in the reviews.  
It would mean a lot to me.**

 **Try to spot the reference to the movie soundtrack !**

 **OK** **... here goes nothin'**

 **rant over.**

* * *

" Hey Tooooothleeeesss... ?" Hiccup coed as he trudged into the cove, burdened with a basket of slimy stinky fish nearly his size.  
" Today's the day..." He continued, dropping the basket from his shoulder with a groan.

The late afternoon air was freezing and Hiccup rubbed his hands together to warm them up as he swivelled around looking for  
his best friend. He gazed across the small lake to the other side of the cove, the water sparkled with the rays of the sun,the radiant disk  
bound to stay up in the sky for another hour or two. But there was no sign of the dragon.

 _Where is he ?_ Thought Hiccup, his eyes suddenly coming across a area of charred ground, still smoking and slightly orange.  
His eyes widened. he realized. he pivoted on his talons, but it was already too late, the beast was upon him. He was finished.

" **Surprise !** " Yapped the beast as he leaped on the frail figure.

The poor boy landed violently. The air knocked out of his lungs. Partially due to his sudden landing, but also due to the dragon paw  
pressing down on his chest. He raised his arms to his face in a pathetic attempt at block the dragons attacks, but it was useless.  
Whatever he did could not prevent his most gruesome fate : He would be licked without mercy.

" AH ! NO-! TOO-! TOOTHLESS ! TOOTHLESS STOP- ! " Hiccup waved his limbs around frantically, making no difference.  
" I BROUGHT FOOD !"

Toothless stopped and released his friend. He sat intently, head tilted, eyes wide, ears perked up and tongue hanging out, all that while  
panting heavily.

" **Food ? Why didn't you say so before !** " Expressed the dragon with a low, guttural growl, head buried in the upturned basket.

" It's a good thing I didn't have the flight harness on already, you would have ruined it. " Moaned Hiccup while flicking streaks of saliva  
off his clothes into the lake, making little ripples on the smooth surface.

" **Flight harness ?!** " Toothless drew his head from the basket, having finished all the fish with unnatural speed and liking his lips.

" Today's the big day, the day we both take to the skies..." Continued Hiccup, as if reading Toothless's mind.  
The boy pulled out the harness, the saddle and the prosthetic from a cloth bag.

" **Woah woah woah !... I gotta wear _that_ thing ? ** " Gurgled Toothless taking a step back with a reluctant spark in his eyes

" Oh comon' ! Don't be like that...I've gotta wear a harness too ! " The boy nudged the heap of leather straps on the floor with his foot, holding  
out the saddle with both hands.

" **Okay...** " The dragon huffed with reluctance taking a step forward.

* * *

 _This is it..._ Thought Hiccup as he attached himself to saddle with a hook on the end of a rope, running from his harness into a metal ring on  
Toothless's saddle.

The boy looked back and yanked his left foot forward, tugging on a rope that was meant to deploy the brown leather prosthetic. The rope flailed loosely as it jolted  
the tail-fin to life.

" Here goes nothing ! " He mumbled, and Toothless spread out his wings as dark as midnight and recoiled like a spring.

WHOOSH !

And they where gone ! In the blink of an eye. Leaving nothing but a swirl of dust and leaves in the cove.

" WAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh ! " Hiccup's mouth was a wide a cave.

He felt the wind against his face. _Oh gods the wind !_. He was barely holding on to Toothless. He stuck to the saddle, offering less air resistance. As the boy tried to look  
around, he realized flying might not be that easy. The sun blinded him, the wind grabbed at him trying to fling him back off the saddle. He clung to the saddle as if his life depended on  
it. It kinda did. the cold northern air bit his nose and ears and rushed down into his tunic through his collar, freezing his neck and chest.

They sailed up with extreme speed, Toothless beating his powerful wings at a strong rhythm. Hiccup finally got a hold of himself and tugged at the rope.  
They suddenly banked left, none of them expected _that_ ! They fell in a graceful arc, accompanied only by Hiccups prolonged screams. Toothless let out a  
hoarse yelp as they sunk in a furious flurry of pine branches before hitting the ground.

* * *

Hiccup opened his eyes for the second time today. Although this time he was not staring at the wooden ceiling of his room but rather the pine branch roof  
that acted as a shield between he and the sky. Something wet and hot drew across his face, leaving a thick trail of fishy dragon saliva.

" Urgh... That's gross" Noted the boy with distinct revulsion. Pushing the dragon back with one hand and sitting up with the other.

The dragon barked with joy and relief, and circled the sitting boy covered with bloody cuts and red gashes all over, his tunic in ribbons. Hiccup touched a particularly wide cut on his right cheek as  
he stood up.

" At least I didn't loose an eye..." The usual tinge of irony in the boy's voice was present. He was all right.

" **You could have lost more than that !** " Returned the dragon with a concerned yap, nuzzling the boys chest with his wide nose.

The boy was being pushed gently back against a tree, he patted the dragon's head with one hand and scratched behind the ears with the other.

" I'm okay...Toothless I'm fine..." Toothless drew his tongue across Hiccups face again.

" Wha-! No-! Toothless ! You have _got_ to stop doing that ! "

The mischievous dragon just sat back, looking as smug as ever.

Hiccup wiped his face with what was left of his sleeve and stared at the rope that went from his foot to the dragon's tail. He'd have to find a solution, for the prosthetic _and_ the conditions he faced up there.  
He'd be working all night again.

They headed back to the cove as the sun started to set, the shadows grew long and the air even cooler if that was at all possible. They crossed a field of long grass and before hiccup realized, Toothless threw  
himself towards the field. Unfortunately for the boy, ( who, at this point was lost in thoughts and designs of a new prosthetic ) he was still attached to the dragon's tail by the foot and was jerked off his course and  
dragged into the field with Toothless.

It wasn't long before the boy realized that the grass he now held up in his hand provided dragons a feeling of bliss and relaxation unequal to anything else. He looked up from his hand and stared  
at his beloved friend, floundering about as boneless heap in ecstasy, his ears twitching incessantly as he purred with frenzy.

 _This is brilliant_ he mused, still holding the grass in his hand _I'll try it tomorrow at dragon training, Gobber says we'll be against a gronckle...I'll let him charge then extend my hand with the grass and-_  
He interrupted his own thoughts. _If I try it out and it works... they'll get suspicious._ The rest of the teens had thankfully overlooked his little stunt with the zippleback the other day, but he couldn't  
afford to try anything else. _I can't be good at dragon training, I'm Hiccup, I'm not good at anything..._. His hands curled in a fist at these thoughts.

Toothless looked up at Hiccup with wide green eyes of concern. Hiccup released the air from his lungs in a long sharp sigh and uncurled his fists. His shoulders slackened as he gazed into the mesmerizing  
green of his companion's eyes.

* * *

It took a while to convince the dragon to leave the field. And when Hiccup finally got back to the village the sun was barely still on the horizon and most of the inhabitants where in the mead hall,  
throwing food and drinking mead. Hiccup went straight to the forge, not expecting to find Gobber still working there.

Hiccup stepped into the forge, feeling the familiar heat meet his face. He looked up and jumped as he saw his master, feeding the hearth with wooden logs that weighed more than the boy.

" Wah-! Hey ! Gobber... Uuhh...Aren't you at the mead hall at this time usually ? "

" I already ate and besides- Wha' happened to ye' ? "

Hiccup looked down at himself with all the cuts and bruises through his ripped tunic. " Ah...that...uh...yeah about that. I uh...Fell out of a tree !" he offered. His master raised an eyebrow as his eyes  
ran up and down the boy, trying to figure out what his apprentice had been doing to return in such a state.

" It was a big tree ! " Hiccup continued. Gobber didn't seem convinced but let it pass, he liked the boy and wasn't going to question what he did when he wasn't being bullied or tinkering.

" Hhmm...Well ! I'm of to bed " Yawned the man. " And ye' should be to, more dragon training tomorrow ! And ye' dad will be back soon', now ye' don't wanna disappoint 'im now, eh lad ? "

" Yeah...Uh...Look Gobber, I'm not sure if I'm really the right kinda guy for dragon-" But he was already gone the door closed behind him. Leaving Hiccup alone in the forge for the night.

 _Soon, soon we'll take to the skies Toothless. And together up there...Nothing will be able to stop us !_

No matter how hard he had to work, tomorrow, his friend and he will take to the skies. Even if he had to work all through the night.

* * *

Hiccup opened his eyes and stared up at the plank ceiling of his bedroom. A single idea spawned in his mind.

 _Today...We fly, we take to the skies. Tonight after dragon train-_ He interrupted his own thoughts _No... we fly now !_

He flung himself out of the bed and reached for a bag full of the products of his night spent tinkering. He got dressed in lightning speed and charged down the stairs bursting through the  
front door without bothering to even have breakfast. It's not as if he could get any skinnier. He leapt down the stairs that led to the village with the cloth bag in hand. He sprinted across the plaza and turned the corner  
only to violently ram into someone.

" HICCUP ! What the-" It was Astrid, she looked outraged. Hiccup took of faster than ever before

" Sorry 'strid gotta go !"

" HICCUP DON'T YOU RUN FROM ME ! " He didn't stop, he just kept on running, ignoring the stares of confusion and disapproval, and of course the obvious roaring behind him. Astrid was obviously after him.

" HICCUP I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE AND FEED YOUR FLESH TO THE DOGS ! " The hollering and profanities that emanated from the girl's mouth at an unnatural volume only made Hiccup run faster.

At this point they had left the village and were heading in the forest towards Raven Point.

 _I've gotta loose her. She can't ruin this ! She can't ruin this like everything else !_ The bitter thoughts made him faster still.

He leapt over a root protruding from the ground. Any other time it would have caused Hiccup to land face first in the dirt. Hiccup decided to take a detour in order to get Astrid off his back. And for the next five or so  
minutes, Hiccup ran like he never did before, ducking and weaving over roots and under branches. He ran to be able to fly, the irony...

After eventually loosing the murderous girl, Hiccup headed for the cove. He stumbled under the shield that lay wedged between two rocks into the peaceful hide-away he called home, he could hear  
nothing but the cool breeze in the trees and the sound of his own heavy panting.

" Toothless ?"

" **BOO !** " Barked the immature dragon.

" HOLY-! Toothless..." Hiccup grabbed his heart with one hand like he just had a heart attack. He held up the bag with the other hand " I've finished- the- gear !" He managed between gasps for air.

The dragon went from sitting there looking very smug to circling the boy with keen interest. Did this mean he would be able to fly again ? Toothless longed to fly more than anyone, he had been grounded  
for too long.

* * *

" The fin is activated by pedals now, it's better than the system that nearly killed us yesterday ! " Hiccup finished tightening the straps that held the saddle in place.

The dragon rolled his eyes " **Well at least now we'll die to the hands of an _even more_ complicated contraption ! ** " Hiccup didn't understand the sarcastic remark the dragon produced and he continued.

" And I, will be wearing _this._ "

Toothless stared at what the boy held up. It was a smooth wooden mask, obviously made as one solid piece, it didn't present the features of a human face. In fact, it was flat yet curved out from top to bottom in a convex manner. On top, were two thin, flat horns that curved back ever so slightly over the wearer's head, with the tips blunted as if they were simply lobbed off. The eyes were two rectangular holes filled  
with tinted glass panes that could be removed if necessary. It was the simplicity that made the mask beautiful.

Hiccup held up the mask to his face, and fastened the leather strap that held the mask firmly yet comfortably to his head. Toothless gazed at his human, he looked at the mask and he saw... Something that  
reminded him of a dragon of sorts, it must be the horns. Hiccup stared back through the mask, aware that his friend could not see his eyes through the tinted glass panes.

" So... Do you like it ? "

The dragon nodded with a grunt and his tongue hanging out of his mouth, he liked the mask.

It wasn't long before Hiccup found himself throwing his legs over his friend and attaching the harness he wore to the saddle. He breathed heavily, he was nervous. His feet slipped into the pedals that commanded the  
fin. He looked back at Toothless's tail, as he tried all the positions of the prosthetic. He had spent over an hour the previous night memorizing as best he could the positions, it simply wouldn't be a good idea  
to take off without knowing them.

" **Let's go ! Come on ! Come on !** " Toothless growled impatiently under hiccup.

The teenager fiddled with a dark red scarf that he wrapped around his neck before tucking it down his collar " All right ! All right ! We're going...just gimme a sec..."

The boy brought the wooden mask, that until now had been resting on his head, down over his face. The light behind the mask dimmed, the tinted glass panes shielded Hiccup's eyes from the aggressive sun.  
He lay down on the saddle, offering as little air resistance as possible and drew a long breath before stating :

" Well, here goes nothin' ! "

Toothless took that as his queue.

 _Whoosh !_

And before he knew it, they were soaring just above the tree-line. The mask did it's job perfectly, and Hiccup looked down to the blurry green sea below that were the pines they flew above.

" Let's go up !" Hiccup yelled over the rushing air around him as he flicked the pedals into position three...or was it four ?

The airborne pair flew up, with Toothless's wings beating steadily and powerfully with a rhythmic _Whoosh_ every beat.  
Hiccup felt the cold wind and the speed of the climb. He was born to do this.

" This is amazing ! " He affirmed

Toothless roared in approval " **It's been to long !** "

They reached the clouds in no time, levelling out before attempting to bank around a massive fluffy white cloud. From the ground, they would look like nothing but a single tiny black speck disappearing  
behind a mountain of a cloud.

Hiccup found it hard to breathe while banking harshly, because of the pressure of the turn and their speed. They completed the turn and after a couple of seconds of recovering, the boy directed  
both of them into a steep dive. They gained speed, a _lot_ of speed. The boy's face was shielded from the powerful wind that battered the mask with incredible force as the pair sliced through the air.

" WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! " Hiccup felt the thrill in his bones. He could feel Toothless's wing beats alternating with his heartbeats. The dragon flattened his ears against his skull, but not completely,  
air gushed between the ears and the skull of the dragon acting like a whistle, producing a shrill screeching sound one would hear during a dive-bomb.

Hiccup was in ecstasy, he griped the saddle so hard it whitened his knuckles, the freezing wind numbed his hands. This was incredible, he felt so alive !

 _Holy shit the sea !_ Hiccup flicked the tail-fin open just in time. The pair pulled out of the dive sharply, the tip of Toothless's right wing touched the sea's surface leaving a trail of sprayed water behind them.  
the sharp pull-out of the dive crushed the boy against the dragon, forcing the air out of his lungs. He'll have to get used to that.

Toothless slapped hiccup across the back of the cheek, which wasn't covered by the mask " **Pay attention !** "

" Yeah, yeah, sorry ! "

The two males skimmed over the surface of the sea along one of Berk's cliffs. They still had tremendous speed from their dive. The pair dodged a massive rock pillar sticking out of the sea before passing under a  
natural stone archway. _This_ is what Hiccup wanted to do. Forever.

* * *

The dragon and his human friend sat in the cove next to a small camp fire, Hiccup sitting up against Toothless who lay comfortably on the floor. The sun was high in the sky and both  
were enjoying fish for lunch. Although one, was having a lot more than the other, but the latter didn't mind. He wasn't hungry.

Hiccup gazed into nothingness, holding a stick with a fish on the end of it over the fire. He was still flabbergasted from his test drive earlier this morning. It was incredible !  
Meanwhile, Toothless simply engulfed the pile of cod in front of him with unnatural speeds making loud chomping and gurgling sounds as he ate greedily.

 _I'm gonna have to make gloves for my hands... And maybe even turn the harness into a something more protective if we crash again..._ Hiccup mused silently ... _Or run into a Viking with_ _Toothless..._

He would work on his equipment tonight. He wasn't getting much sleep recently, none at all actually. This was probably why the pair did nothing for the rest of the day except sleep and laze around in  
the sun, sometimes Hiccup would talk to Toothless about his life in the village and his problems or his inventions or the way the Vikings tanned leather and made clothes.

And Toothless listened, giving answers that hiccup could only understand to a very minimal extent. And during the entirety of the day, Hiccup didn't care about anything. It didn't matter if the village wondered where he was, or if he didn't show up at the forge nor at dragon training, he didn't care. And for all the time he was with Toothless, Hiccup was happy.

* * *

 **And that, ladies and gents...Was chapter 1 !  
I hope you liked it ! **

**As I said before I'd love it if you guys told me what you think ! I can definitely improve I'm sure. ( Yes, _LOTS_ of room for improvement )**

 **If you have any suggestions for the story be sure to PM me so as not to spoiler ! ( Not that I'm lack of inspiration or anything but I believe there's always someone better than you for anything so I really wouldn't mind suggestions )**

 **standby for chapter 2 !**

 **Rant Over !**


	3. Chapter 2 : Coal Black

**Greetings ! And welcome... to chapter 2 !**

 **not much to say...Hope you like it ! I was listening to _Paint it Black_ by the Rolling Stones when I wrote this ( you can probably tell ! )**

 **Enjoy !**

* * *

When Hiccup returned to the village after a blissful afternoon of lazing around with his best and only friend. He went straight for the forge, desperate to avoid anyone who would start asking questions.

But Hiccup's luck had decided against him that day and when the boy walked into the forge he found Gobber was waiting for him.

" Ye' weren't at dragon training today..." Gobber said with a disappointed look on his face as he repeatedly hammered a soon-to-be shield into shape.

" Uh...Yeah..Uh... Gobber I think tha- " Hiccup tried but Gobber only interrupted him.

" Ye' father's gonna be home soon ! And if he learns that you've been skippin' classes he's gonna go bezerk ! "

" Yeah. But I just think I'm not- "

" And ye' fail dragon training ye' father he's gonna-" This time it's the frail lad that interrupted the master.

" Gobber, listen... " Gobber stopped talking and hammering the shield, and looked at Hiccup." I just think that I'm not made for dragon training... "

Gobber raised an eyebrow. " Don't ye' want to make ye' father proud ? "

" Yes ! I do but I... I just can't kill drag-"

There was a sudden, loud, **_THUMP !_** as someone kicked the door of the forge, and an ear shattering **_crash_** as the door _hit the floor._ But what was worse was the deafening shriek of rage  
coming from whoever kicked down the door.

" HICCUP ! "

Astrid was furious.

" Ah... Hi ... Hi Astrid... uh..." Hiccup stuttered as he stumbled back from the girl who marched towards him with fire in her eyes.

" You...Have a LOT of explaining, and apologising to do ! " She had her axe to his throat, and was pushing him back as tried to scramble away from her. They were going around the hearth of forge.

" I uh...I do ? " The stammered

Gobber tried to control the situation and calmly warned the girl " Astrid..."

" Why weren't you at dragon training today ? " She spat between clenched teeth, her left fist curled into a ball by her hip.

" I... um... I can explain ! "

" You better ! "

" Astrid..." Gobber continued

" Cause if not, I'm gonna drink mead out of your skull tonight ! "

" ASTRID ! " Gobber shouted. Both teens turned their heads to look at the man. Astrid's axe was still at Hiccup's throat. " There'll be no fightin' in my forge !"

The enraged girl looked at Gobber with a look of annoyance for a couple of seconds before turning back to Hiccup.

" Fine ! " She snapped back at Gobber as she grabbed the poor boy by the collar and dragged him out of the forge.

Once outside, she let go of Hiccup's collar and stepped back from him, thrusting her axe like a spear in his direction.

" What are you up to ? "

" Wha- what do you... mean ? " Whimpered the boy. People started watching from a distance, careful not to get into Astrid's way.

" You know _perfectly_ what I mean ! " She bellowed and with a grunt kicked Hiccup in the stomach. The miserable boy bent down over his stomach and stumbled back before loosing his footing  
and collapsing on his back.

" Why...Would you do that ?" He coughed and looked up at his tormentor.

She pointed a finger at him with a venomous look in her eyes.

" You are hiding something... And I'm gonna find out what ! "

" I don't know what you..."

" What do you do in the woods all day ? Huh ? "

His heart skipped a beat. Hiccup was suddenly aware that almost the entirety of the village was now staring down on the scene.

" I... uh..." Hiccup spotted Fishlegs in the crowd, cringing at the scene his eyes witnessed. There was also Snotlout, with a sadistic smile on his face, and the Twins behind him probably hoping to see some blood spilled.

" Answer me ! "

" I...Don't do anything..."

Astrid gave a shriek of exasperation and stomped her foot. She towered over poor Hiccup.

" WRONG ANSWER ! " She drew her axe back. The crowd gasped. Snotlout's smile grew wider.

The last thing Hiccup saw before loosing consciousness was the flat of the blade of the girl's axe about to meet the right side of his face at very high speed.

When the axe hit the boy he slid across the ground a whole meter to the right of where he was lying a couple of seconds ago. Now he lay on his belly, sprawled out and limp. He was lucky the blow didn't  
break his neck.

* * *

When Hiccup opened his eyes he found himself staring at the... _f_ _loor_ ?

Gobber was besides him, crouched down and shaking his shoulder to wake him. He gave a sigh of relief when the boy opened his eyes.

" Ye' okay lad ? "

" Never better..." The boy grunted sarcastically as he pushed himself up to stand.

" That might leave a mark..." Gobber pointed out.

" You don't say..." Hiccup put his hand up to the right side of his face, the tender flesh of his cheek and temples where sure to develop a bruise as blue as the ocean, or as black as night.

The big crowd subsided as most went back to what they were doing. About twenty meters away he saw Astrid's father drag his daughter back home by the ear. And to his immediate right stood the rest of the teens  
including Snotlout who wore a wide, detestable grin.

" Well, Useless, you're gonna have a nice purple tattoo on you're stupid face for next couple of weeks. Congratulations ! It's gonna look good. "  
The twins snickered.

Hiccup ignored them and fled back into the forge. The heat inside stung the beaten flesh where he received the blow. He'll have a lot of fun describing to his father how he got such a bruise.  
The boy sighed and got to work on a pair of iron hinges. _The new door is gonna need them..._

* * *

It was now late afternoon and the shadows grew long as the sun hovered barely over the horizon. Hiccup was in his room in the the forge working on the new harness he needed.  
He heard Gobber hobble over just behind the curtain that separated the room from the rest of the forge.

" I'm goin' to tha' mead hall to get somethin' to eat, wanna come ? " The man asked through the curtain

" No thanks Gobber... I'm not hungry..."

" Well... It's yer loss ! Just don't stay up all night. " The blacksmith hobbled away. When Hiccup finally heard the door to the forge close, he got to work.

He was planning on working all night, just like all these other nights.

 _Night...THAT'S IT !_ Hiccup chuckled... _Night !_ The boy silently thanked Gobber for the idea.

The boy worked tirelessly, he made things that night that even the most skilled crafter couldn't make. He made a leather pair of gloves that he dyed coal black along the dark red scarf  
and his boots. His mask got the same treatment and he made another pair of glass panels that weren't tinted, for night flights.  
He could store the glass panels behind the mask in a small leather pocket near his chin, so he could quickly replace them.

But his most impressive creation of all, was the harness, that now looked like a dark lightweight leather armour as black as midnight. The armour wasn't a single piece of hardened leather, no, it was an intricate collection of strips of leather stacked over each other like pages of a book. This offered more flexibility, and protection against slicing, not to mention it's aero-dynamic properties. The "flight armour " as Hiccup called it, covered his chest, shoulders and back. In addition, he deemed important to protect his limbs in case of a fall, so produced leather protections similar to his harness ( Using the leather sheets technique ).  
One pair of "limb-guards" were to protect his arms and forearms and elbows, one piece for each arm. The same went for the legs, protecting the front and sides of the shin and thigh and even the knee.  
The boy even added two metal bars running parallel within the each leather protection for the shins and forearms, the concept of broken bones didn't appeal to him.

And for practical reasons, Hiccup made a system for the mask to be clipped to the harness by it's leather strap so that he could just push it back over his head and let it hang from the harness and rest on his upper  
back / neck. This would allow carrying the mask around much easier and if needed he could quickly pull it down over his face.

When Hiccup tried on the entire gear, it felt comfortable, he ran around the forge, trying out how flexible it was. It turned out to allow for astonishing dexterity, it would be perfect for flying.  
Hiccup hit his left forearm against the stone edge of the hearth. The impact was muffled by the leather, but the bars protected the boy's radius well, one would not be able to know that there  
where metal bars protecting his shins and forearms, as they were buried within the leather protection.

Hiccup stood there in the forge, wearing the jet black gear he just made. He was lost in thought of all the possibilities...And for a full ten minutes, the boy didn't move. He looked darker than the  
darkest of shadows. The strips of leather, overlapping like the tiles of a roof, could remind one of the scales of a dragon.

* * *

The next day was, tough to say the least. Dragon training took up all day, no time to rest. Hiccup didn't do good, he survived. But he didn't perform well... He could have rendered all the dragons he encountered inoffensive or unconscious. But he held back... He was "Hiccup The Useless" he had to be bad if wanted to avoid suspicion.

 _That was to close_ Thought Hiccup as a gronckle projectile shot past his face. His face... It was... Um...Coloured. As everyone predicted, a massive bruise spread over the boy's right side of his face,  
going from his temple, down to his jaw and all over his cheek. This bruise, unfortunately, only helped feed the constant flow of insults that were chucked at him throughout the day by Snotlout and the  
Twins. Astrid, on the other hand simply shot stares at him that could melt rock and steel. And Fishlegs simply glanced with a sad look of pity from time to time but otherwise avoided his gaze.

And when the sun finally set, Hiccup and the teens each went home. And as the boy miserably climbed the steps to his house, he noticed a pillar of smoke coming from the chimney of his home.  
His heart sank, he turned around and looked down at the village docks from his vantage point up on the hill. The bay was full of ships, all of which charred and full of holes.

His father was back.

He opened the door and stepped into the house. His father was there, by the fireplace with his back to him. None said anything for a while

" Hello son. " His father's deep, powerful voice boomed.

" Hi...dad..."

Awkward silence

" How did it go ? " Hiccup tried, breaking the silence.

Stoick simply grunted, meaning : " _Not better than usual ..."_

" How was dragon training ? " Inquired the massive man, still facing away from his son.

" Um...Still alive ! " Hiccup said with a nervous chuckle

His father simply sighed and shook his head, peering into the orange embers and poking them with metal tongues.

" I'll uh...just...go to bed now. yeah..." And Hiccup escaped upstairs to his room where he equipped himself with his flight gear before escaping through his window.

He stealthily crossed the village, melting into the shadows of the early night. He made sure he wasn't being followed, that could result in a very dead dragon and an even deader boy.

* * *

Toothless loved Hiccup's gear, he thought it was a wonderful idea, especially the colours. Both of them now soared over Berk melting in with the black sky, a simple shadow amongst the stars...  
Totally undetectable. They flew for a full hour, as one. Together, they formed " The unholy offspring of Lightning and Death and Tinkering " Hiccup joked.

Hiccup felt alive when flying, all his worries just _flew_ away. The cold night air, the crushing force of the turns, the deafening air... All these difficult conditions had no effect on Hiccup, in fact he  
had come to love them.

The dragon and the boy now moved in near perfect synchronisation, after only a couple of hours of flight together. It was like it was meant to be. Both of them guessing exactly what the other meant, acting  
and thinking as one.

They climbed high, circling the top of the peak that marked the centre of the island.

" I've got a crazy idea ! " Hiccup yelled over the loud winds

" **Go on, I'm interested...** " Growled the dragon with genuine interest

" It's really stupid ! " Warned Hiccup mockingly.

Toothless could guess what Hiccup was thinking

" **Then what are we waiting for ?** " He confirmed through a sharp joyful yap

And the pair dived, their speed increased dramatically. They where going at mind boggling speeds down the jagged mountain-side. They dodged, rolled and weaved from the path of boulders, jagged edges of rock  
and trees that where taller than others. They had never gone so fast, they were a single black form zooming down along the mountain, even the artificial tail-fin was painted black.

" Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh ! " Hiccup cheered through the mask.

Toothless suddenly drew his wings from half retracted along his body to fully deployed in less than a heartbeat. Hiccup had anticipated Toothless's actions moments before, he emptied his lungs and flicked the tail-fin  
into the correct position before he was crushed to saddle at the sudden loss of speed. He was getting good at this.

They now glided peacefully over the sea, travelling further and further away from Berk, lit only by the white light of the moon.

Hiccup sighed as he gazed into the wide expanse of the sea, the waves sparkling to the moonlight. The roar of the wind seemed to dim, the cold in Hiccup's bones faded. Everything was silent...everything was, calm,  
peaceful...

They glided for another half hour. Simply resting... Toothless merely held his wings open and let wind carry them into the unknown, it didn't matter where they were headed.

After a while Hiccup realized that sails had appeared on the horizon. They approached the ships from above, in the cover of darkness. Hiccup saw the sails, he recognized them immediately...

 _Bog Burglars_

Was it trading season already ? They would probably reach Berk's docks by morning _._ He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

The pair turned and returned to Berk as swiftly as they left it, gliding on the high winds, and in little time they were back in the cove.

* * *

" Thank you..." Hiccup said, he stood before toothless, with the mask hanging from his neck on his upper back and a hand on his friends nose. Just like the first time they made contact. " For all of this...I really needed it. "

He didn't just mean flying...

" **No, Thank _you..._** " The dragon breathed affectionately " **Meeting you, was the best thing to have happened to me.** "

" You make my life worth living " Said Hiccup, a single tear rolled down his bruised face.

Toothless let out a throaty noise from his ajar mouth...

" See you tomorrow." Sniffed Hiccup, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he turned and jogged out of the cove.

The boy got back in bed as quietly as he had left the village. He took his gear off, stashed it in a bag that he shoved under his bed before lying down on his hard bed. He sighed and stared at his ceiling in the  
dark, looking for answers... He had a lot of problems to sort out...Then he thought of Toothless.

 _Things will sort themselves out..._

He didn't notice the soft embrace of sleep creep up on him before snatching him away to the world of dreams... And not of nightmares like many times before.

* * *

 **TADAAAAAAAA !**

 **And that, ladies and gents. Was chapter 2 ! Hope you didn't think the soppy moment between Hiccup and Toothless in the cove was too corny, If not I'll stop before it get's worse.**

 **Hiccup is taking a lot of shit from the teens but Toothless is there as a crutch for the poor boy's mental stability...Hopefully he doesn't lose it and go bezerk...  
**

 **In the meantime... Tell me what you liked or didn't like and if you have any suggestions PM me !** **Otherwise see you in a couple of days for...**

 **chapter 3 ! ( it rhymes with Camicazi ! )**

 **Rant over !**


	4. Chapter 3 : Free-fall

**Chapter 3 !**

 **Sorry if it's a little short, but I decided I'd rather upload short chapters at regularly as opposed to humongous chapters every two weeks...  
( Plus school isn't making it easier for me ! )**

 **I modified a chapter at the request of one of the readers who wanted to see some Fishlegs action, and I agree. It's better like that thanks for the suggestion !  
Otherwise we see some bromance between Toothless and Hiccup. Tell me if your sick of it !**

 **Also, I wrote this chapter while listening to _Warriors_ by Imagine Dragons, and it suddenly occurred to me that the lyrics make a lot of sense in describing Hiccup's situation, especially**  
 **if it was his dead mother singing the song to him from Valhalla to give him strength.**

 **Hope you like it. (The story that is...)  
**

 **Rant over !**

* * *

Hiccup was sitting on the docks, feet dangling just above the icy water. The Bog Burglar ships could be seen in the distance. They came every trading season, it lasted a week, and during that week people would trade their wares like crazy. Clothes, weapons, food, coins, pots, anything... Hiccup used to look forward to trading season, when he and Camicazi used to play all day long together as kids.

Camicazi is the heir to the Bog Burglar throne, a clan as you might already know, entirely composed of women, every one of them just as bad-ass as the next. She was a short, blonde, girl that could wield a sword since she was a toddler and never backed up from anything, and of course the loud, crazy Bog Burglar personality came included. She had always been nice to Hiccup, as opposed to...well... _everyone else_.

They used to play in the woods, or on Flat Man's beach near the village. It used to be a week of evasion and delight. An escape for Hiccup, to loose himself in a universe with someone that didn't spit insults at him or beat him to a pulp. But not any more. But they had grown distat over the years, and it had been several trading seasons now, since they stopped talking to each other altogether.

 _It was the good old days..._

Hiccup never thought he'd be able to ever use that sentence, even if only in thought. Until now, there _were no_ " Good old days". He sighed, got up and walked towards the village breathing in the morning air. He headed for the forge, he had pile of weapons to repair and he only had one day to do it...

* * *

Hiccup was done with his work before midday, just as the Bog Burglar's reached Berk's docks. Hiccup left the forge and headed for...you guessed it !...the docks.  
It was always fun to watch Stoick greet the other tribe, mostly because he and Big-Boobied Bertha ( The Bog Burglar leader, also known as B.B.B ) would be drinking mead and laughing together one moment, and would suddenly have swords to each other's throat the next !

Hiccup now leaned against the wall of the tannery, overlooking the docks, with crossed arms. He was still wearing his leather smithy's apron darkened with streaks of charcoal.

There was Stoick and B.B.B shaking hands, besides her stood Camicazi, she was straight and expressionless, acting formal for the crowd of berkians that stood behind Stoick. She looked and acted like a proper heir. He had never seen her act formal or well behaved...

 _I guess shit happens..._

She glanced up and spotted him leaning against the tannery.

The boy simply unfolded his arms, turned, and walked away. No signs or expressions, nothing. Times change, they were no longer close friends any more, merely acquaintances. He headed out of the village, into the dark of the forest, but without his cloth bag. He just needed a bit of comfort.

* * *

"Hey bud ! Howya' doing ? " The boy cooed as he sauntered into the cove.

" **You woke me up...** " Grunted the dragon in an irritated manner. The black mass lay under a tree with his head resting on his scaly paws.

" I have come to bless you with my presence !" The boy plonked himself down against the dragon his feet far in front of him.

" **I'm honoured...** " Toothless rolled his eyes.

" Did you sleep well ? "

" **Yup, until you came along !** "

" I slept well. Ok, not really... " He sighed " I was up early this morning, I sat on the docks for a while and it got me thinking..."

The dragon dragged his claws against a rock sharpen them making a regular scraping sound as the boy talked.

"...We can't live like this forever..."

the dragon stopped scratching at the rock and turned his head towards Hiccup that sat up against his left wing.

" **Why not ?** "Gurgled the beast.

"... I mean look at us..." The boy flung his hands in the air before letting them fall back down limply again. " You spend your days in a cove...and I..."

Hiccup sunk his face in his hands, the pain from his right cheek was a bitter reminder of the girl who despised him so much, and the people that just stood by as the flat of the axe flew into his face. Toothless nuzzled the human where the bruise was and licked it. Not, in the long, sloppy disgusting way. It was little dabs here and there with the tip of the tongue. Hiccup's pain was soothed and he reached out a hand to scratch behind the dragon's ears.

Toothless made a soft purring sound.

After a while, Hiccup drew a notebook and charcoal from his tunic and started to sketch the cove. It wasn't the first time he sketched his sanctuary of peace and quiet, he had least another four drawings  
of the cove in his notebook.

Suddenly Toothless grabbed the book between his teeth and set off around the cove with it, laughing and throaty dragon laugh.

" Why you little- Oh no you don't ! " Hiccup set off after him and they ran around the cove for a while. And although Hiccup never really caught Toothless, he bought his book back by promising some  
extra fish next time he visited. He didn't plan on ever bringing any extra fish whatsoever...

* * *

Hiccup had returned briefly to the village, simply to grab the cloth bag that was stashed under his bed before jogging directly back to the cove.

It wasn't long before he stood in front of Toothless, putting on his flight suit after equipping the dragon with the saddle.

" I have an idea..."

" **Uh-oh** "

" It's gonna be awesome... just you wait ! " Toothless eyed Hiccup suspiciously, he could usually tell what the boy was thinking. But when he couldn't, he didn't know what kind of crazy, stupid thing he would do that could probably get him killed in a million different ways. This was also one of the reasons he loved the boy so much.

" We're gonna have to climb high thought... Higher than we've ever been..." Hiccup jumped onto Toothless's back in one swift movement. He pulled the black mask over his face, he felt so much better when he wore the mask.

In the blink of an eye they were gone, hurtling towards the sky. Hiccup griped the saddle with force, trying to stick to the dragon as best he could, to offer less resistance to the powerful, icy winds that threatened to blow him off.

They were high now, very high, way above the cloud level. Hiccup saw icy veins grow from the rim of the glass panes, edging their way to the centre. He had a hard time breathing, the air was to thin. Toothless sensed all that from the boy on his back an started to level off, Hiccup obliged in adjusting the tail-fin accordingly and they glided for a while, maintaining their altitude.

Hiccup chuckled, and the dragon felt his rider unhook the security lead that ran from the harness to the saddle. And then suddenly...The weight on his shoulders lifted. Hiccup had unclipped himself from Toothless and instantly sat up on the dragon and flung his arms up.

The wind caught him and he was yanked of the saddle with incredible force.

" Wooooooooooooo ! " He was free falling ! It felt incredible !

He had spread his limbs out and was falling belly down towards the sea of clouds far below them. He felt the piercing cold wind under him, pushing against him so hard it could be a solid object. Toothless was falling next to him, head first, with his wings open about a third of it's wingspan to regulate his speed. The two glanced over at each other while falling, and toothless let his tongue escape his mouth, flapping wildly with the fall. Hiccup laughed and brought all his limbs back against his body, falling twice as fast as a thin, black arrowhead. He was falling face first faster than he'd ever been, he was so glad he had that mask.

" **Oh so wanna race huh ? Ok ! Bring it on !** " And Toothless plummeted after his human at full speed, wings now completely maintained against his body.

The dragon quickly caught up with the human and held up alongside him.

" **That all you got ?** " He roared, before all turned white. They where going through the clouds.

When they finally emerged. Hiccup saw the ground approaching, slowly but surely. He took a whole ten seconds to get a proper grip on Toothless's saddle and to clip himself to it once more.  
And just to make Toothless worry a little more, he took his time to get his feet back in the pedals.

The dragon promptly opened his wings as soon as Hiccup got control over the prosthetic again, the boy was once again, crushed against the dragon. He was getting used to it.

" I told you- It would be- Awesome- " The boy managed over the howling wind and heavy pants.

" **You crazy, stupid human...** " Grunted the dragon.

" Aw cmon'...Admit it, that was incredible ! "

" **Maybe it was just a tiny bit...awesome.** "

" We're gonna have to do that again someday !"

" **Agreed !** "

* * *

Astrid never liked Hiccup, in fact she completely despised him. He was useless, both by quality and by name, annoying and always messed things up. He had never done anything to help the village, in fact he was the one to throw back progress and to make bad things be even worse. All he ever did was come up with dumb inventions that never worked.

But since dragon training, Astrid had sensed something was wrong. Something was off with the boy. He always disappeared into the forest for hours on end after dragon training, carrying that stupid cloth bag. And what happened with the zippleback in the arena a month ago ? that was unnatural, uncanny. Hiccup the looser, scaring a zippleback to death and pushing it back into it's cell ? The others didn't see it, but something was wrong, very, very wrong with that freak.

He was hiding something. She was sure of it. The reject was hiding something, and knowing him, it would probably harm the village. She hated not knowing. She hated Hiccup for whatever he was doing. She had tried to get some information off him the other day when she beat him with the flat of her axe. But he just took the punishment, and did nothing else, it was so enraging ! She hadn't obtained anything from beating him up, maybe she got to vent out some of her hate for him in the process but she got nothing concrete.

Maybe she wasn't hard enough on him, she would have to try again, everyone has a breaking point. She left the table she was sitting at in the mead hall and walked out, heading for Snotlout's house. She would talk to him about Hiccup, she was fairly sure he'd help her get what she wanted. That moronic little liar and plotter would get what was he deserved.

No one hides anything from Astrid Hofferson, no one hides anything from Berk.

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless were back in the cove and the sun was going to set in a couple of hours. Hiccup was facing Toothless, just cramming the last of his gear into the bag.

" I have to go back now...There's a feast in honour of the Bog Burglars planned, and as Stoick's son, I have to be there all nigh to witness all those wonderful speeches I told you about ! I'm _really_ looking forward to spend the evening listening to endless words of wisdom and encouragement...yay..."

A twig snapped behind him and he shot around, then back to Toothless, only to find that he had vanished. He swivelled back around only to see a short, blonde ( with long free hair )heir of the Bog Burglars saunter into the cove. She turned and looked in surprise at the scrawny boy.

" Hiccup ? "

" Uh...Hey...Long time no see, huh ?..." He managed to force the words out, looking around for Toothless, all while trying not to look like he was searching for a dragon hiding behind a rock somewhere in the cove.

"Yeah... What are you doing here ? " She inquired smoothly walking over to the auburn haired boy.

 _Oh nothing...I simply just fell from the highest point any human has ever reached and survived, and now I was about to wish my best and only friend good night. His name is is Toothless by the way,  
yeah he's the 'Unholy offspring of lightning and death itself', he's actually just a big ol' softie...His preferred execution method is licking to death._

" Oh...Just y'know...Taking some time away from the village...Helps clear my mind... " He said, trying his best to act casual.

She eyed suspiciously " Hmm...I swear I could hear some talking a moment ago. " She looked around, like she was expecting to find someone else hiding behind a bush.

" Uh...I...Talk to myself, sometimes. It helps things stay clear, in mind mind...y'know..." He swallowed, that excuse was so lame !

" Uhuh..." She scanned him from head to toe, looking for something out of the usual. She found that everything was out of the usual with him, he'd always been like that. She gave up trying to find whatever she  
was looking for, and just accepted the fact that he was being weird.

" I often need to get away from all... _That._ " He continued waving his arms in the direction of the village.

" Yeah... I know how you feel..." She sighed a long, tired sigh. " All this formality crap I have to go through because I'm the heir...I needed some time off. You're lucky, as an heir you don't have  
to do all this shit..."

" Yeah...Well... I seriously doubt _any_ Berkian would even consider living on Berk if I ever become chief... " He scoffed and ran his hand through his messy hair during the awkward silence that followed.

" This really is a nice place " She said finally breaking the silences and looking around the cove. Hiccup was grateful she didn't spot any of the scorch marks on the ground where toothless slept.

" Yeah it is, I often hang out here..." _With my night-fury friend_ "...When I need some peace and quiet."

" That's really all I need these days...Some peace and quiet." She looked down at her feet " Away from all these darn responsibilities"

" Sorry, I never knew the feeling of responsibility. " He chuckled

She chuckled back. " It's just so...Hard. Everyone expects so much from you, and you don't have any other choice than to try you're best."

 _I'll never know that feeling...Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third, living up to someone's expectations ? Impossible !_

" It must be tough..."

She nodded slightly, still staring at the ground.

" My mom just doesn't get it...She just-" She looked up at Hiccup as if suddenly realizing something. " I... I'm sorry... I don't know why I just told you all this...I- "

" No it's fine... really..." He interrupted " Sometime's it's best to get someone to listen...It helps you stay sane. "

" Yeah...Sane." She sighed again and looked up at the orange sky, painted by the setting sun. " Who listens to you when _you_ need it ?" She asked with gingerly.

Hiccup just stared into the small cove's lake. He observed the ripples on the surface of the water caused by fish.

 _Who listens ? The best friend in the world, a real brother..._

The disturbing silence was ended by Camicazi quietly leaving without a word, she had realized that she struck a nerve with her last statement, and the conversation was growing too weird and disturbing for her. This was the most they'd ever talked in years. Hiccup turned and watched her exit the cove before looking in the opposite direction. Two big green eyes had been watching them from the cover of the shadows in a corner of the cove.

Hiccup laughed

" _There_ you are...Found you in the end "

" **If had really been hiding, you would never have found me.** " The beast snorted

" Yeah, yeah, whatever... Still found you ! "

Camicazi was just trekking out and away from the cove when she swore she heard laughter behind her. She stopped and turned. Either she had finally lost it from the lack of sleep, or the boy was  
laughing on his own. She shook her head and resumed the walk back to the village. That boy was so strange.

* * *

Hiccup was back in the village on the way to the grand hall for the feast. But he encountered the other teens on the way.

His blood froze when he heard Astrid's words :

" Gone for another escapade in the forest today have you ? " She stood in his way with her axe in hand resting on her right shoulder

Hiccup had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

Snotlout flanked him, with the twins on either side. He was _cracking his knuckles_ " I think that you forgot who decorated your face last time, a why she did it... You sure have a short memory _Useless_..."

He was now backed up against a wall and Snotlout was all up in his face, with a vicious smile drawn from cheek to cheek, just to top it off. " Think I might just decorate the other side of the canvas for her..."

The Twins snickered, Astrid was smiling, they were having a lot of fun.

Snotlout drew his fist back for a punch, but suddenly, a large beefy hand slammed down on the bully's shoulder. His grin turned into a puzzled expression, and he turned around to see Fishlegs towering over him. Everyone held their breath. Fishlegs didn't do things like this, he wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone Snotlout. Fishlegs was a looser, the only reason he wasn't picked on was because he was simply less of a looser than Hiccup.

The massive boy's right hand was on Snotlout shoulder and his left hung at his side, curled into a fist the size of a hammer.

" Stop, I think hiccup has had enough." His stare was deadly.

Snotlout answered with a disgraced tone : " Hey ! You can't tell me what to do you big- AAaah ! " Fishlegs was crushing his shoulder.

" You have never been nice to Hiccup, not once in his life, has he received praise or encouragement from you guys...Instead he gets punches and insults..."

He squeezed tighter, Hiccup was expecting to hear the shoulder snap any minute now.

" AAaahhh Stop ! Stop !"

"...I think that today he gets a day off."

Tuffnut approached the mountain of a boy, trying to have Snotlout's back but his face met a fist the size of a hammer, and he stumbled off complaining about how he " was hurt, so hurt, so very hurt..." Ruffnut and Astrid went after Tuffnut walking off with haste, trying not to look like they were fleeing. Astrid shot Hiccup a glance, and if looks could kill, his brains would have been blown across the wall.

Snotlout was released and he trudged of, staring daggers into both Hiccup and Fishlegs.

" Thanks...Although I had it sorted, I could have floored all of them if I wanted to..." Hiccup mock-punched an invisible, immaterial human in front front of him.

" Yeah..." Fishlegs said absent-mindedly, staring down at his hands like he just discovered a new super power. " Sure you did...You always have it sorted." He chuckled and strolled of, as if nothing happened.

 _Yeah...I always do..._

Hiccup picked up the cloth bag and headed for his house. He'd have to hurry if he didn't want to miss the start of the banquet with all the really important speeches he had to attend to.

 _On second thoughts...I might take my time..._

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the whole Fishlegs-Saves-the-day kinda thing I had going on here. And the skydiving, which personally, I've always wanted to try ( Not to mention wing-suiting, but  
** **that involves WAY too much skill yet it looks incredible !)**

 **GODDAMNIT ! I'm getting sidetracked again...**

 **If you have a suggestion for the plot I'd be happy to receive it, just PM me.**

 **And see you next week ! ( Try not to die from any wing-suit related accidents in the meantime ok ? )**

 **Rant over !**


	5. Chapter 4 : Fire and Flight

**Another chapter !**

 **Today, Hiccup takes a big step in his life and realizes that _he can make a difference._ Lucky him, cause no matter how many times _I_ proofread it still doesn't make a difference.**

 **And I threw in some light Hiccup/Toothless bromance, I tried to keep it light...Don't want the readers having an overdose of brotherly love that would terrible.**

 **Anyways...I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think !**

 **Rant over !**

* * *

The weeks had flown by, Hiccup's massive bruise had disappeared and he now only carried a mark or two from his cousin's beatings, but mostly on his stomach...Nothing out of the usual.

Trading season had come and gone without real interaction with Camicazi, other than the episode in the cove. Although they shared some childhood memories, they seemed to be what was distancing the two even more. From time to time their eyes met across the mead hall during feasts, but every time they quickly glanced away in embarrassment.

Hiccup spent a lot of time with Toothless, they flew around five times a week, and he visited the cove as often as possible. The boy had also taken the decision to make the most of the equipment he had made himself. He wasn't much of a fighter, but he trained to use his forearm protections to block blows.

He got Toothless to attack him with his paws, and his objective was to either block or dodge. He wasn't much good at it in the beginning, but after three weeks he could counter most of the dragon's  
attempts that were as powerful as they were fast.

He and the dragon also did a lot lazing around...It was in their nature. They spent whole days in the cove, just bathing in the sun or the lake, or both.

Hiccup had also tried another free-fall, although this time they went to high and the boy lost consciousness just as he unhooked himself from the saddle. This gave Toothless the fright his life, and it was a good thing the boy was still maintained on the dragon's back by the pedals. He woke up again to the sound of Toothless's terrorized howling as they plummeted at full speed towards the ground. The boy deployed the tail-fin soon enough, and the pair glided safely to the ground. Although Toothless gave Hiccup a serious scolding and the poor boy thought he'd never hear the end of it.

* * *

Hiccup woke up suddenly to the shouts of activity and yells of urgency outside, what could be happening so late at night ? He opened his eyes as gazed at the wooden ceiling as his brain processed the information.

 _Dragon raid ?!_

No, the last one was a month ago, there wasn't going to be another one for at least a month or more. The raids were frequent, but not _that_ frequent.

A minute later he was outside, in the harsh cold air of the night, and he quickly understood the cause for all the commotion. He peered down at the bay from the top of the hill where his house stood, what he saw raised the hairs on his back.

Ships, lots of them. At least thirty ships, every one of them a spot of light in the dark bay. But that wasn't what was so shocking. Vikings raided each other all the time, but the ships, Hiccup could recognise them from a book he got off Fishlegs three years ago...

The ships, were _Roman_ ships. But then boy noticed the sails. They weren't the classic, flashy red sails with the golden crest of the empire. These sail where white, grey, or black. It was a rogue army, legionnaires that no longer answered the empire's calls.

The boy ran clumsily to the docks, just in time to see his father flanked by Gobber and Spitelout towering over a Roman messenger. The Roman messenger read from a parchment, looking rather nervous to be surrounded by the massive Vikings. He spoke a clumsy Norse.

" ...if you capitulate immediately, we will spare your lives and take only your belongings-"

Stoick roared with rage and grabbed the messenger by the collar, bringing him right up to his own face.

" I don't think ye' understand..." He snarled at the Roman, who was now whimpering and seemed on the verge of tears."...You go back to your leader, and you tell him...That we are VIKINGS ! And that means that  
WE DO THE RAIDING ! " And Stoick threw the man back towards the rowing boat he came on. And in a matter of seconds the terrified messenger was already rowing away back towards the fleet of lights in the dark.

Before long, fire filled the sky as the catapults on the ships fired flaming fireballs at the village, each one a miniature sun crashing down on houses, streets or people. The shouts of pain, rage and distress  
filled Hiccups ears.

There was intense fighting in the docks, with the Romans pouring in and the Vikings pushing back. The Romans had the numbers, Vikings had the strength. Hiccup observed all this from the steps to his house, he evaluated, he guessed. He tried to estimate the outcome of the battle. He saw a fireball crash down onto the plaza, spewing flames all over the stony surface. Those catapults where good, they provided an enormous support to the Roman fighters that stormed the docks. The Vikings had catapults to of course, but they were destroyed by the ships as soon as the battle started.

Hiccup came to the conclusion that if the catapults were not dealt with quickly, all would be lost. Berk would fall to the hands of a rogue Roman legion and would be burnt to the ground, everyone would lie slaughtered on the the ground drowning in their own puddle of blood as each and every Berkian saw their home and loved ones be destroyed and murdered.

" This bad...This is very bad..." Hiccup moaned with a hand going through his hair. He _had_ to help. He couldn't lift an axe nor swing a sword, but he could do much more...  
He shot back up to his room to grab the cloth bag from under his bed and sprinted out of the village towards the cove. He would not let his birthplace be engulfed in flames. He skid into the cove shouting at the top of his voice :

" TOOTHLESS I NEED YOUR HELP ! "

The dragon was there in a heartbeat, he would always be there for his rider. Hiccup was panting heavily, he was already putting on his equipment. The freezing night air stung his cheeks, but he didn't  
notice, he had one thing in mind.

 _Save Berk_ _  
_

He put on Toothless's saddle and drew his mask down over his face. He had explained the situation to the dragon between long gasps for air as he was equipping them both, and when he tightened the mask to his face he felt a jolt of electricity, he felt energized, he felt _powerful._

" You ready to kick some Roman ass ? "

Toothless roared with approval, they didn't call him "the unholy offspring of lightning and death" for nothing.

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless were flying over the ships, still firing the fiery projectiles at the village.

" Let's give 'em hell ! " Shouted Hiccup and clicked the prosthetic into position.

The pair started a steep dive with the usual dive-bomb shriek that grew in intensity as they picked up speed. Hiccup focused on the fast approaching ship and estimated the correct moment to strike and where the weak points of the ship were.

" NOW ! "

The plasma bolt hurtled from Toothless's mouth to the ship in a straight line and impacted with both the speed at which it was fired added to the speed of the dive. It tore the ship in half, setting it ablaze.  
All the other Romans looked around with terror in their eyes, trying to understand why one of their friendly ships just went up in flames. But they didn't see anything against the night sky. The dragon  
and it's rider were completely invisible. The only thing Romans could do was to listen to the shriek intensify before yet another one of their ships was torn in half by force and fire.

Stoick removed the axe from the dead Roman's skull and looked up when the bitter shriek filled his ears.

" Night Fury ! "

" Get down ! "

And suddenly a purple ball of plasma materialized mid-air only to strike one of the Roman ships with a tremendous fiery force. Stoick was confused...

 _Why is it helping us ?_ _Why would it ?_ Then it dawned on Stoick. _It isn't helping us, it's hunting...And those Romans are it's target..._

The man prayed to the gods that the dragon would not turn to them when it was done with the Romans. He turned, and struck another Roman in the shoulder, severing the arm and covering his hand  
and forearm with hot blood that steamed in the freezing air.

Most of the Vikings kept staring, the invaders in the bay had been defeated after the interruption of constant bombardment that ensured their advance. The Vikings gazed in silence at the purple light show before them in the distance. Plasma bolts appeared above the ships, before dashing down onto one of them suddenly lighting it up. You couldn't tell which ship was going to burn next, nor where the plasma projectile would appear.

" Looks like' tha' Romans got a little' more than they expected ! " Gobber chuckled cheerfully next to Stoick.

Stoick frowned not moving a muscle, his eyes danced around, following the purple streaks. " I just hope that the beast won't go after _us._ when he's done with _them_. "

But the dragon never finished them off. After a while, the plasma bolts just stopped coming, leaving a dozen or so ships in the dark bay that turned and set sail as fast as they could, away from this unholy land.

* * *

Hiccup was standing in the cove in front of Toothless, he was taking of his suit and was rambling on about the battle that just took place.

" Oh man ! We just tore apart half a fleet ! Of Romans with- Aahh ! " As he took of his chest plate he winced with pain. The dragon leaped towards him and looked at the boy's bare chest with a worried look.

" It's nothing..." Hiccup continued, holding his shirt up and looking down at his own chest. " It's not as bad as it looks. "

His chest and lower neck were bright red with faint splotches of purple. Hiccup had lost his scarf during one of the fly-bys and the freezing air had been going down his collar and battering against his lower throat  
and chest for the whole flight. The affectionate dragon approached Hiccup's chest murmuring with worry and the boy immediately threw his shirt down and backed up.

" Oh no you don't...I see you coming over looking all sweet n' all...But I won't be licked today ! No sir ! " Hiccup was waving his finger around and Toothless rolled his eyes and snorted.

" **Well clearly you're not _that_ hurt...** " But the dragon nevertheless threw himself at Hiccup sliding his tongue up across his face, all while making sure not to touch his chest or throat.

" Goddammit Toothless ! "

The dragon just sat there, looking very smug indeed.

" I'll never get you to behave properly will I ? "

" **Nope !** "

" Darn dragon..."

Toothless laughed a throaty dragon's laugh.

* * *

Hiccup spent the rest of the the night in the village helping out with the fires as best he could. As you you know, Hiccup isn't the strongest Viking. In fact he's quite weak for a human in general and although he compensates for his lack of muscle with a surplus of brains, the boy still can't toss water out of a bucket further than a meter and half. Obviously, not far enough for fire fighting. So he simply stuck to bringing full buckets to those that need them, going back and forth between the well and the blazing houses.

Over a third in of the buildings in Berk were burnt beyond repair. Otherwise they only suffered ten casualties in the docks, with an extra six from the bombardment. It could have gone much, much worse if it weren't for a certain boy and his dragon brother that were both profoundly despised by the village.

When all the fires were finally under control, the Vikings went back to bed. Hiccup knew he would have a long day of armour and weapons repairing ahead of him, and that he desperately needed to get some sleep. But he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that both he and Toothless had annihilated that fleet like it was nothing. Only he sustained minor injuries, a little frostbite on the chest that's all ! Hiccup hadn't realized until that night, the power that both of them had. With his wit and diplomacy, and Toothless's plasma and speed... They could travel the world, no one could stand in their way.

But it wasn't that easy, the boy knew that even if he left now, he wouldn't be happy he wouldn't be totally _free_. He had unfinished business here, he knew that if he left now, the memories of Berk will come back to haunt him, and would eventually drag him back. He might leave one day, he wasn't cut for life on Berk. But he ever left, it would be when the time is ripe, only then would he be really free.

He fell asleep gradually, his mind dimming slowly, letting go of thoughts one by one. He hadn't cleaned the soot of his face nor taken off his clothes for the night. He merely lay limply on the bed over the covers and slept soundly.

* * *

Another week had passed since the rogue Roman legion attacked, and the village was already mostly rebuilt. They were Berkians, they're used to rebuilding houses that burned down, they did it every three months after every raid.

Hiccup had worked his hands off in the forge, repairing and crafting all manners of weapons and armour that needed replacing after the fight. Otherwise he spent all his free time with Toothless, Hiccup trained some more blocking and dodging, and had learned to use his dagger a little better. And the cheeky dragon had threatened to lick him repeatedly every day of his life, if the boy didn't run around the cove five times a day. He couldn't believe it, he was being forced to exercise every day by _a night fury_ that threatened to lick him if he didn't comply.

Hiccup's frostbite wound on his chest had gone unnoticed, and healed after a couple of scary days during which the skin _was peeling off constantly_ in small sheets of dead skin. Hiccup thought he was going to die and Toothless nearly died of a heart attack himself when the boy first showed the peeling wound. Not that his chest was ever constantly raw, there was always a layer of skin underneath to protect him but it was nevertheless a terrifying experience. 

One day, trader Johann and some other traders and brokers made an unexpected, but not unwelcome visit to Berk for a few days. Hence Hiccup was walking around the small market organized on the plaza one morning, looking around for anything that might be of interest. He wasn't looking for anything specific, but his gaze settled upon a peculiar looking crossbow.

It was a light crossbow very thin, smooth and curvy, mostly made of wood apart from the bow limbs and the string, which were metal. What Hiccup found intriguing with the weapon was how light it was when lifted it up. It was the only other weapon, other than his dagger, that he could lift with one hand.

" See you found the lightwood crossbow." The trader hoped over to him.

" Lightwood ? "

" Aye, it's particularly light wood, but very strong."

" Makes sense..."

" It's your's for four coins !"

Four coins was all Hiccup had, he had saved up all his life. He never spent any money, he hadn't thought anything was worth buying until now. Hiccup still held the crossbow up. It was the right weight, the right size and the wood stock was smooth to the touch. Although Hiccup wasn't one for fighting, he understood the necessity. He liked the idea of ranged weapon, one he could use away from the harmful enemy. He noticed that the crossbow didn't have any mechanisms for reloading, one had to pull the string back manually to shoot again. Hiccup knew he'd be to weak to be able to reload his weapon efficiently, but he could tinker a bit, modify some things or two. Hiccup stared at the crossbow and saw potential.

He snapped back to reality when the trader lost his patience. " So ye' taking it or not ? "

" Yeah I'll have it." And the boy handed the man four round gold coins. The trader put them in his pouch wearing a wide grin.

" Ye' won't be disappointed ! "

" I bet I won't ! " Mumbled Hiccup as he walked off to the forge, gazing down at the weapon he held in his hands.

* * *

Like many times before, Hiccup worked all night. His brow glinting with the sweat pearls that hung there as he hammered, sowed, melted, pinned and nailed things together into something _useful_. He was illuminated only by the dim, red light that emanated from the forge's hearth. Hiccup was always zooming around the room, shooting back and forth, fetching a component a here or some materials there. Muttering instructions and mental notes to himself as he worked.

When hiccup was finished, the crossbow was unrecognisable. Like the rest of his attire, it was painted coal black. The main change however, was the fact that the crossbow now had a small handle, no bigger than his little finger along the left side of the weapon. The main premise of the handle, was to pull the string back into firing position when you pulled the handle back itself, using an intricate system of pulleys and cog-wheels within the crossbow to de-multiply the force of the wielder when reloading the weapon. Furthermore, the young genius had added another trigger to the crossbow alongside the first. This new trigger, serves to deploy the bow limbs that would stay retracted alongside the crossbow when not in use. He had also spent hours adjusting a simple pair of iron-sights that would flick up and deploy along with the bow limbs, granting an extreme precision and accuracy to the marksman. Hiccup had also changed the string of the crossbow, it was no longer a single metal cable, now it was three, smaller, thinner cables of an alloy Hiccup had been working on, entwined together so as to form a more elastic bowstring, giving the weapon even more power with it's shots.

The young boy had also spent his time making a leather sheath for his dagger, that he would now keep strapped to his right thigh when wearing his gear, he was left handed, so he'd fight left handed. The sheath bore a beautiful engraving in the leather, representing a dragon curled up, with it's tail trailing down to the tip of the sheath. His flight suit now also obtained an upgrade, which consisted quiver strapped in diagonal on the boy's back to stow the undeployed crossbow, with another, smaller quiver just below that one to store some bolts he'd made.

In the end, he was overall very satisfied with his work. And after he threw his newly crafted, heavily spring-loaded gadgetry into the the small room at the back of the forge. He slumped down to the ground, his back against the wall of the forge and fell asleep. Snoring happily into the night with the soft lights of the fire at the centre of the room, dancing and waving across his face in random patterns.

* * *

 **That's all folks !**

 **well, for now...**

 **In the meantime I hope you enjoyed !**

 **Rant over !**


	6. Chapter 5 : Precious Information

**Yet another chapter ! I should really sleep at night...**

 **Sorry if It's not perfect but for some reason I had to edit this chapter 4 times ! I just couldn't get exactly what I wanted and I still can't.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

 **Rant over !**

* * *

Hiccup got good with the crossbow, _very_ good. In fact he could hit a target over a hundred meters away while standing up. The crossbow was so light, he could shoot it with one hand, this made it particularly easy for him when he practised drawing and shooting as fast as possible. You may already know that Hiccup wasn't much of a fighter, although he grasped the necessity to know how to fight, it just wasn't his thing.

But the boy quickly discovered a new pleasure in the art of marksmanship. In fact he enjoyed it _a lot_. The feel of the crossbow deploying, the custom made ironsights lining up with the target, the whistle of the bolt through the air before it hit the tree with a satisfying _**THUNK !**_. Hiccup had spent hours in the cove shooting the tree that stood by the lake, and there were many, many dents in the bark. It was like he was born to do this.

Toothless liked the weapon too, mostly because it meant Hiccup would favour range in combat as opposed to ending up right in front the dangerous enemy. Toothless loved the boy too much to let him fight in close quarters.

Hiccup had already tried to shoot while riding Toothless. And one could say there was some room for improvement...to say the least. It wasn't the multitasking that bothered the boy, no, he could operate the prosthetic with absolute ease now, he did it without thinking. It was the aiming that was hard part, he had to shoot while lying down on the saddle, he had to maintain his aim against the extreme winds and he had to compensate for the fact that he was shooting from atop of a dragon that was flying very, very fast. All of these factors made dragon-mounted-marksmanship very complicated, but he did hit the tree he was aiming for once ! Only after forty-two tries, as Toothless kindly pointing out for an entire afternoon.

He also learnt how to properly use his dagger from Gobber, who told him that it would suit him best to use the reverse position. And after only two days of practising stab manoeuvres in the forge repeatedly, he finally got the proper hang of it.

His father had continued to be disappointed with Hiccup not doing well in dragon training. But Hiccup would rather keep Toothless hidden from Berk than satisfy his father. And no matter how many short, disturbing and unpleasant conversations they had. Hiccup still, would not jeopardise his secret for the approval of Berk he had sought all his life.

Astrid had finally understood the fact that she will never be able to punch the information she wanted out of the scrawny boy. So she had resorted to simply following him into the forest. Hoping to finally find out whatever he was hiding. But he was expecting that, and every single time, he lost her on the way to the cove. It was becoming even more enraging for the girl that she couldn't best her opponent in finding out what he was hiding, but she wouldn't give up.

* * *

The gronkle's shot hit Snotlout's shield and shattered it into a thousand pieces of wood splinters.

" Snotlout yer out !" Bellowed Gobber from the entrance to the arena. There was now only Hiccup and Astrid left. The gronkle fired at Astrid who promptly dodged with ease by rolling to her left. When she got back up, she started hammering her axe against her shield and the confused dragon swivelled around and fired a shot in Hiccup's general direction. The shot missed the boy but nevertheless flung him against the hard stone wall of the arena.

Hiccup was now sitting up against the wall, still stunned by the explosion. Astrid had stopped crashing her shield and axe together and the gronkle now stood over Hiccup with one last shot.

 _Not again !_

Astrid didn't attack, she just stood there and watched.

 _Why isn't she attacking ?!_

The gronkle started charging his last shot, the orange glow that emanated from it's mouth intensified. Hiccup started to panic. His eyes widened with terror.

 _Does she want me dead ? Did I do something ?_ then his mind clicked in understanding. _She wants me to use my abilities, she's forcing me to train the dragon ! She needs proof...Just like with the zippleback._

Hiccup threw himself to the ground to his right and the gronkle's last shot bored into the wall, leaving a massive red and orange dent of partly crushed, partly melted rock. Gobber grabbed the dragon by the inside of the cheek with his hook prosthetic and was swinging it back into it's cell. Hiccup sighed in relief as he clumsily got back up, brushing dust and dirt of his tunic.

" Get' back to bed ye' overgrown sausage ! " Commented the blacksmith as he wrestled with the gronkle.

Astrid glared at hiccup with a deadly stare, she was furious, it was far from the first time. But it still sent shivers down his back, he'd never get used to it. As he walked out of the arena he heard Fishlegs catch up with him.

" I see you had it sorted."

Hiccup shrugged " I always do don't I ? "

" Yeah... Anyway see you later ! " And the massive boy ran off probably back to reading the dragon manual.

It felt nice to be acknowledged every now and again.

Hiccup was lost in thought while walking all the way back to his home, the sun was setting after a long day of dragon training and Hiccup surprisingly wasn't exhausted. Probably because he was thinking about the flying he planned to do that night with Toothless. Astrid was even more dangerous for him and Toothless than he originally thought. She was really dedicated, which was strange because she usually didn't care what he did. Maybe just the fact of him hiding something from her and Berk made her furious, she always got what she worked for. But not the secret Hiccup held, she couldn't get that. 

* * *

When Hiccup walked through the front door into his own house his father instantly grabbed him by the collar.

" Ah, Hiccup ! I was looking for you..."

"Uh...you were ?"

" Yes, you're coming down with me to the main hall."

" Now ?"

" Yes now."

" Bu...But why ?" Stammered the boy.

" Because about thirty ships just arrived at the docks, and as a chief, I have to greet the leader flanked with my son."

" But-" It was to late, Hiccup was yanked back out of the house by his father and dragged to the main hall, where he was placed to the left of his father who was sitting on a massive wooden chair and towered over the entire room that was filled with Berkians.

" Why do I have to be _here_?"

" Because it's custom."

" I don't have to make a speech do I ?"

" No, I'll do all the talking."

" There we go ! so I'm not useful here in any possible way am I ? Goodbye dad-"

But his father hand caught him by the collar and sat him down again, just as the doors of the main hall doors flung open. About forty people walked into the massive room, surrounded by Berkians that left a path that led directly before Stoick. The strangers didn't look very Viking-like, they looked strong and nimble, but didn't have the mountain-like build that all Vikings had. All but Hiccup.

A man walked forward from the group, he was about Stoick's age. He had a slightly tanned skin, they all did, and he had a cut that ran from his left cheek down to his neck. He looked up at Stoick with bright blue eyes that contrasted heavily with his tan and his dark, short hair. He spoke first.

" Let me introduce myself, I am Garton the Brave ! Leader of the High Sea Wanderers." His loud voice had a southern accent to it.

" And I, am chief Stoick the Vast, leader of Berk. What brings you here ? " Boomed Stoick.

" We are a nomad tribe, we travel from port to port, around the world. We trade wares and information for our stays on islands and otherwise we hunt pirates and brigands for their loot."

Stoick raised an eyebrow.

"We wish to stay on your island for a week, before resuming our travels." continued Garton. There was a long pause before Stoick answered, both the crowds were silent. Hiccup just sat there, wishing he wasn't sitting there.

" I must admit..." Stoick answered as he stood from his chair and paced back and forth on the wooden stage before the High Sea Wanderers chief. "...I cannot approve of your methods, we weren't expecting you at all."

Both crowds grumbled in disapproval, but not of the same thing. Stoick hushed them by gesturing with his hands before continuing under the flickering light of the many torches and candles that now illuminated the hall.

" But friends are hard to make around here, and if you are ready to trade, then maybe we can work something out. But on one condition !"

" What might that be ?" Questioned Garton.

Stoick answered with a smile on his face and a cheer in his voice, he threw his hands up as if to embrace an invisible figure. " That you offer the drink, for the feast tonight of course ! Ha Ha HA !"

And with those words both crowds exploded with cheer and yells of approval as Stoick and Garton shook hands. " Tonight, Berk and the High Sea Wanderers feast ! " Bellowed Garton over the ecstatic yells of the crowd.

Stoick led Garton onto the stage and roared the crowd to silence with his next statement. " But we have not correctly introduced ourselves have we ? " He waved Spitelout onto the stage and put his arm around his shoulder when he finally stood by him. " This is my second in command and good brother, Spitelout ! " The crowds clapped and cheered. Then he turned to Hiccup. The boy swallowed nervously.

" And this is my son, Hiccup ! " Only half the crowd clapped, all of which were High Sea Wanderers. Hiccup stayed glued to his chair with a faint, nervous, but fake smile.

Garton took over. " I must introduce you to my wife and daughter... " A powerful looking woman and a girl about a year older than Hiccup stepped out of the crowd "... Alden and Eira !" The crowd clapped and cheered again. Hiccup looked down at his feet, avoiding any gazes directed at him.

" And now that that's done...Let us prepare the feast ! " Announced Stoick. The crowd answered with one loud " _Hurrah !_ " throwing their fists in the air before dispersing to prepare for the event. Hiccup got up from his seat and discreetly slipped out of the main hall with the masses. Leaving his father and Garton to discuss the terms of their stay. 

* * *

He stepped out into the cold, early night and walked over to his house. The stars were starting to appear one by one as the sun only just disappeared below the horizon. He walked into the house and was embraced by the warmth of the hearth. He didn't stay by the glowing red embers though. He went straight up to his room and locked the door.

He threw himself onto the bed, face first into a pillow. He lay there for a minute or two in frustration, he hated feasts and celebrations where he had to stand by his father as " the chief's son". The worst part was that there was no way he could escape it, he would have to be there, no matter what. He sighed and sat up on edge of the bed, he blew his hair out of his face and looked over at the messy workstation he observed every morning. It was moments like these that made Berk feel like a prison, amongst many, many other moments.

He lit a candle and sat down at his disorganised desk, shoved some papers aside onto the floor and grabbed a fresh sheet. He started sketching a sunset that towered over a city. The city was very peculiar, it had many tall, slender towers with pointy roofs and long flags on top, waving and undulating in the wind. Dragons flew above the city, with a rider on each, peacefully soaring between the high towers. The towers had landing platforms that hung off the sides, where dragons and their riders landed and took off to skies.

Three loud knocks on the door dragged the boy out of his blissful dreaming and he heard his father's voice on the other side.

" Hiccup ? "

He sighed. " Yeah...? "

" I just wanted to tell you that I want you to be present at the feast tonight."

" I know."

" Are you coming ? "

A long paused followed before Hiccup answered reluctantly. He didn't have a choice.

" Yeah, I guess. "

" Good." And he heard his father's heavy steps go down the stairs. He sighed again, and rest his head in his arms on the desk.

 _With a bit of luck I might survive the night..._

He got up and started to put on a clean tunic and furs.

* * *

Hiccup sat at the table in the corner of the main hall, staring down at his plate with a piece of chicken he hadn't touched yet. He wasn't hungry. The noise was unfathomable, drunk Vikings and Nomads stumbled around together and sung songs that were no longer recognisable as songs at this point. The feast had only been going on for an hour and some where already conked out on the hard stone floor. Food was flying all over the place and Hiccup quickly dodged an incoming tankard that sailed through the air into an arc before narrowly missing the boys head as he tilted it out of the way without leaving his seat. A couple of months ago he wouldn't have been able to do that. Toothless had really whipped his reflexes into shape.

He cringed as he saw his father stroll over to the boy's table with heavy steps.

 _What now ?_

" I see you're not enjoying your meal are ye' ? "

" I'm not hungry." Answered Hiccup gruffly, not meeting his father's gaze.

"Well, doesn't matter. You see Garton's lass over there ? " Hiccup looked up to where his father was pointing. There was the girl, sitting all alone at a table, staring into a tankard of mead.

" Yeah ? " The boy feared his father's answer.

" Well I want you to talk to her."

Hiccup groaned " Why ? "

His father frowned " Because we want to be friendly with this tribe, and you're the chief's son, so you're gonna talk with the other chief's lass and be friendly."

" But-"

" Look Hiccup, it's called _diplomacy_ , now you're gonna walk over right now and talk to that girl." He was getting angry with the boy, although he tried not to show it, you could hear it in his tone.

Hiccup sighed. " Fine." He slid of the stool he was sitting on and started walking over to the table, dodging flying food and stumbling Vikings and stepping over passed out bodies. The girl was still sitting there, gazing into her mug looking for answers. She had long, flowing brown hair and bright blue eyes like her father's. She was about as tall and slender as Hiccup but a lot more muscular, needless to say she was stunningly beautiful. But Hiccup barely noticed.

He slumped down onto the stool opposite her.

" Hi, I've been sent over here by my dad so I can be 'diplomatic'."

The girl looked up from her mug and stared at the boy. " You're Hiccup aren't you ? "

" Yup."

" You don't look like...Other Vikings." She stated bluntly.

" Nope I don't, I'm surprised you even noticed..." His voice coated with sarcasm.

She gave a deadpan stare at the boy.

" So uh..." Hiccup continued very uncomfortable at this point. " What's your name ? "

" Eira." She said brushing away the question. " You don't look like much of a fighter. "

" You rely a lot on how people _'look'_ don't you ? " Hiccup was irritated by her constant judging of his physique.

" That's all I have to try and figure out who you are. "

"Uh... Why would _you_ ever want to figure out who _I_ am ? "

" Because your interesting. " Hiccup raised an eyebrow at that last statement. She stuck a finger for every reason she listed. " Because you're the chief's son, because you don't possess the usual Viking build, you aren't drunk at a feast and you live far up north, yet, you manage to get frostbitten."

Hiccup pulled up collar immediately, covering what was left of the frostbite scar on his lower throat. He didn't like this at all. He cleared his throat nervously.

" Why do you have rash marks on you're wrists when you obviously never wear gloves ? " She continued.

" Uh..."

" Also, you have a very dim scar on your left cheek, what happened? "

" I um...Fell out of a tree."

" A Viking in a tree ? "

" Why do you ask so many questions ? " He asked with an exasperated tone.

" Because I want to know."

" Kn- know what ? " He stuttered.

" Your secrets, everyone has some. "

" And why would you want to know my secrets ?"

" They don't call me Eira the Observant for nothing, and cus' you're Berk's heir. " Another short silence gave Hiccup the time to compose himself. That girl was dangerous, he really didn't like her. And as Garton said, High Sea Wanderers traded information.

" Vikings hunt dragons a lot, but not you." She continued.

" What makes you say that ? "

" Your physique."

Suddenly something snapped inside the boy and he felt a surge of rage inside him, not a feeling he gets often. " You know nothing about why I don't murder dragons." He said slowly between clenched teeth, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. Eira had obviously detected that she had struck a nerve with her questioning and leaned back from the table.

" I need some fresh air." Said Hiccup before finally getting up from the stool and storming out of the main hall. Eira followed discreetly.

* * *

The strange boy had obviously something to hide, not only did he not look like any Viking around he didn't act like one either. In fact, he acted very strange indeed. Eira had followed him from the main hall to his house, where he stayed for about a minute before exiting through the back door, holding a strange cloth bag. From there, she trailed him from far away to the outskirts of the village and into the forest. At this point she lost him but found a trail of tracks, human, the same person over and over again.

She followed the tracks and reached a small cove where she could see an obvious camp-fire that was long since extinguished and some strange scorch marks on the ground. What could have made those scorch marks ? She hadn't yet entered the cove but merely observed from behind a rock and gazed down to the strange finds.

Her though process was immediately interrupted by the silent landing of a black shadow and the laughter of a boy. Her eyes widened. it was a dragon !

* * *

Hiccup had just landed in the cove and Hiccup was giggling his guts out to a quadruple barrel roll they had just done that made him dizzier than anything else in the world. Then he heard a pebble hit a rock, he looked up to the sound. Toothless perked his ears up and growled. Both the boy and the dragon were looking at a rock that overlooked the cove. They looked at each other, nodded and moved towards the exit of the cove as silently as a shadows, melting in with the black of the night.

Hiccup drew his crossbow from it's quiver and deployed it with a metallic sounding _SNAP !_ He heard a gasp from behind the rock. They drew closer to the rock and heard heavy, anxious, breathing. He loaded his weapon with a bolt and drew back the string with a series tiny _Clicks_ . The boy and the dragon were now each on either side of the rock, not making a sound. Eira hadn't seen them yet.

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliff-hanger but I simply can't make a single massive chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and don't hate me to much for the ending. I'll make it up to you I promise !**

 **Rant over !**


	7. Chapter 6 : Time to Talk

Eira was breathing heavily, still hidden, crouched behind the rock. She couldn't hear anything and that wasn't a good sign. It was dark all around her as the moon was shielded by the trees. She turned he head and heard a series of little ' _Clicks'_ as if something was being wound up. She froze and held her breath, her heart was racing, fear ran through her veins.

She suddenly heard a voice behind her.

" Turn around, slowly..."

She spun around to see a terrifying dark figure, barely distinguishable from the shadows of the night. The figure held a crossbow inches from her face, the metal limbs of the bow gleamed in the moonlight.

" Walk down to the cove. Hands in the air." Ordered the figure, she recognised the voice. They walked down to the cove observed by a large pair of green dragon eyes up in the trees. Hiccup felt something he had never really felt before, even though their secret had been revealed and that everything could go terribly wrong at any moment, he felt _in control_. He felt that with Toothless by his side, a mask on his face, words in his mouth and his crossbow in his hands nothing could stop them.

They arrived by his little camp-fire, the fire had long since died out, but he nevertheless motioned her to sit down with a gesture of his crossbow. She sat down with her legs crossed and glared up at him, a mixture of hate and fear in her eyes.

Hiccup sighed before saying. "Look, I don't want to have to shoot you, but for that you're gonna need to make a promise..."

" Hi-... Hiccup ? "

He ignored her question.

"... You have to promise not to run and to hear out what I have to say, we need to discuss this in a civilized way, not like Vikings. "

" Hiccup is that you ? "

" Do you promise ? " He urged.

There was a pause, she hesitated. She looked back at the entrance of the cove, calculating her chances of making a run for it. But she scrapped the idea when she spotted two green reptilian eyes guarding her only exit. She sighed.

" Yeah...I promise."

" Good." He sat down cross-legged too and lay the crossbow besides him and took his thick leather gloves of. The glass panes of his mask reflected the white light of the moon.

She spotted the rashes on his wrists." You're Hiccup, aren't you ? "

" Yeah, I am."

" And you tamed a- a-..."

"...a dragon, yes. But I didn't tame him, I gained his trust. Very different. " Hiccup felt sure of his words, he spoke them without hesitation, he felt a different person.

" what species is it ? "

" We can tell you're from the south, up here, this dragon is called ' The Unholy Offspring Of Lightning and Death Itself'. "

" a _night fury !_ "

Hiccup chuckled " So you have heard the tales."

" But no one has seen it and lived to tell the tale..."

" Well then maybe you might live _not_ to tell the tale."

Toothless had left his post by the cove entrance and slumped down by his rider eyeing the girl warily. Hiccup placed a hand on his friend's head and scratched softly. Maybe if he answered all her questions, he could hope to convince her not run back to Berk yelling she saw a night fury and boy.

" How did you...Approach him ? "

" One night during a raid, I shot him down with a bola-launcher I made, but no one believed me. The next day I found him in the woods, I wanted to carve out his heart and take it to my father. To show him that I wasn't as useless or weak as everyone said."

" But you didn't..."

" I couldn't. I saw he was just as scared as I was, I looked at him, and I saw myself. So I cut him loose, immediately he had me against a rock with his claws around my neck. But he never went for the kill." Hiccup and the dragon were gazing into each others eyes, even through the mask, it didn't matter. " We were both given the power to kill, but chose to love."

" How could you choose a dragon over your own tribe ?" Spat Eira in utter disgrace after a long pause.

Something inside Hiccup snapped at her question, and fifteen years of bottled up anger came pouring out. " BECAUSE TOOTHLESS LISTENS TO ME WHEN I NEED IT ! HE MAKES ME LAUGH WHEN NO ONE ELSE BOTHERS TO ! BECAUSE TOOTHLESS GAVE ME MORE LOVE IN MONTHS THAN MY FATHER HAD IN FIFTEEN YEARS ! WITH HIM, I'M NOT JUST A NUISANCE THAT CAN'T BE DEALT WITH, HE LOVES ME FOR WHO I AM !" His voice was hoarse, he was panting to catch his breath. The dragon coiled around his rider, embracing him in warmth, wrapping a tail around him as if to shield him from the girl.

Eira stared in shock at what she was seeing and what she heard. She could hear Hiccup take short, interrupted breaths. He was sobbing behind the mask. After a moment or two Eira dared another question, Hiccup seemed to have gained control over his emotions again.

" And you ride... the dragon ? "

" Yeah...When I shot him down, one of his tail-fins was ripped off, so I built him a prosthetic that I operate when we fly." He said between sniffs.

" How does it feel...to fly ? "

" Like nothing you can ever imagine. " There was a long silence, during which Hiccup simply scratched the dragon behind the ear and Eira tried to imagine what it was to fly, she couldn't. The only sound was the wind flowing through the pines.

" Why are you still on Berk ?" She questioned simply, she had lost her revolted attitude from earlier, before Hiccup lost it.

" I don't know, I just can't bring myself to leave it like that, we even fought to save it. I don't know why we stay, but we can't stay here forever...not with you running around." Hiccup sighed.

Eira didn't say anything, she was afraid of sparking another outburst from him. He sighed and got up with Toothless. In he swiftly swung himself onto the dragon's back and looked down to Eira, who was still sitting cross-legged, her mouth hanging open in terror and awe. She stared into the glass panes of the mask but found nothing but the cold reflection of the white moonlight.

" You know your name means ' mercy ' in Norse, right ? "

She nodded.

" Well if you live up to your name. You'll let me be the one who chooses when I leave Berk, and not my father tomorrow morning." The dragon opened his wings like a fan and Hiccup lay down on the saddle. " Please."

And they shot up with a _whoosh_ into the night sky, as dark figure blotting out the stars one by one as they flew. Eira stared at up at the pair that formed one being, until she couldn't see them any more.

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless flew all night, zigzagging gracefully between the round clouds like a thread and needle. Hiccup pondered where they would go if he was banished, that is they survived the 'banishment'. Would they go south ? Obviously, there isn't anything further north. Hiccup came to the realization that he had no way of justifying his worries.

If things went wrong, if he walked into the village at sunrise to find angry, murderous Vikings. He and Toothless could simply fly away, and be free, nothing to hold them back.

The pair descended down towards the cove in a spiral motion. The boy drew his crossbow from his back, deployed it with a _snap !_ and loaded it with a bolt he drew from his quiver. He aimed at the tree he usually practised against when on foot.

It was a tricky business, having to hang on to the saddle with one hand and shoot with the other, with the powerful wind throwing the boy's aim all over the place. He pulled the trigger and the bolt flew to the tree and found it's mark.

" Yes !"

" **Well done, your getting better at it.** " Complimented the dragon with a cheerful yap.

" Soon I'll be able to hit a target during a dive ! Wouldn't that be awesome ? "

" **Don't get ahead of yourself now.** " Toothless crooned in response as they touched down in the cove.

The sun was slowly rising, it's first rays were already poking over the horizon. Hiccup needed to get back.

" I'm gonna leave the saddle on you for today, Eira might have told the whole village, so if we ever need to fly away... I hope you don't mind."

" **It's fine, I'm used to it by now**." Barked the reptile.

" I didn't think you would..." Said Hiccup as he finished packing his gear into his cloth bag. " See you later... _Hopefully_..." He mumbled the last word as he strolled out the cove into the woods, praying that he wouldn't be torn to shreds as soon as he set foot into the village. Astrid would have a lot of fun disembowelling him if she ever found out.

* * *

Hiccup's breath was quick, he was nervous. He walked straight to the forge, avoiding all gazes. Everything seemed normal, people acted as usual. But Hiccup nevertheless felt extremely anxious. He opened the brand new forge door, walked past Gobber who was melting metal scraps and tossed the bag into his room at the back before turning back to his master blacksmith by the hearth. He breathed a sigh of relief, everything seemed in order, she hadn't talked yet.

" Mornin' 'Iccup."

" Hi Gobber."

" Where've you been all night ? Ya' missed tha' feast."

" Yeah, well..." Hiccup scratched the back of his head and looked at the dirty stone floor. " I wasn't hungry...and I needed some fresh air."

" I saw you talkin' to the Nomad's leader's lass... Eira is it ? "

" Uh...yeah...Dad had sent me over to be 'Diplomatic' and uh..."

" Didn't seemed like it went so well, sein' as ya' needed a bit of 'fresh air ' eh ?" Chuckled Gobber.

" She asked to many questions okay ! She got on my nerves ! "

" That's a skill ya' know ! not many many people can get ye' pissed of. that's fo' sure ! "

" Hey...Now wait a min- " Hiccup was about to protest but was interrupted by blacksmith.

" Quit yer yappin' and get these weapon's on the wall. We'll talk about yer problems with gals later on."

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes, typical Gobber.

The boy spent the rest of the morning hanging weapons on the wall and making a new pair of metal shin-guards. He was hammering away tirelessly at the soft, burning metal. Every he brought down the hammer at regular intervals with an ear-piercing _'CLANG !_ ' every time. He breathed between hits, sweat pearled on his forehead. Not from the effort, but from the stuffy heat of the forge. The red hearth was always alight, constantly heating the room.

Soon enough the sun was high in the sky and the Vikings started leaving their morning activities to eat. Gobber wasn't an exception.

" I'm off to get a bite, you coming ? "

" Uh, yeah, just...Gimme a minute, I'll catch up." Explained Hiccup and he returned to hammering his creation into shape. He hated leaving things unfinished.

Gobber left and the door crashed shut, only to open again a minute later. Hiccup stopped his hammering and looked up. In the doorway stood the brown haired girl staring straight at him.

" You." Uttered Hiccup, his face contorted into a frown.

" We need to talk."

" Last night wasn't enough ? " Grunted Hiccup as he returned to his crafting, the sound of the hammering somewhat blotted out the sound of her voice.

" No, it wasn't."

" You here to blackmail me then ? "

" No I'm not."

" Then why are you here ? " Said the boy, more like an accusation than anything else.

" I'm here for answers."

" You always are."

" Are dragons really capable of...All that ? "

Hiccup stopped hammering and turned back to the girl. " You better come in." She closed the door behind her and sat on the wooden workbench where lay a hammer and some tongs.

" Capable of what ? Exactly ? " Questioned Hiccup.

" What you said...Loving, caring, compassion..."

" Yes, they are,Toothless is living proof."

She raised an eyebrow. " Toothless ? "

" Ah, yeah. It's um...the retractable teeth." Chuckled Hiccup. He was now dipping the shin-guards into the water with a pair of tongs, producing a loud hiss and a lot of steam.

" Oh, right..." She was swinging her legs back and forth alternatively as she sat on the table, gripping the edge with her hands. " Clever is Toothless."

" Smarter than most Vikings that's for sure, he understands most of what I say. The only thing that limits us is the language barrier. "

" But you seem to understand him well..."

" I know him so well I know how he thinks, otherwise it's all in the body language and the tone. I've had longer conversations with him than I have with my father."

" I see."

Hiccup was now inspecting his own handiwork, in his mind they were adequate shin-guards. But then again, he was a perfectionist. He placed them on the workbench by Eira to let them cool down properly and took of his tattered blacksmith's apron.

" You coming to eat ? "

" No, I'm eating with my people on the boats."

" Suit yourself." And he opened the door for her. She walked out and he followed, they walked across the plaza without a word before parting ways. He was heading for the main hall and she was heading for the docks. Hiccup sighed.

 _I still don't trust her..._

* * *

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think !**

 **Rant over**


	8. Chapter 7 : Alpha Down

Hiccup and Toothless were flying over the sea, very fast and merely a couple of meters above the water. Hiccup stared at the massive white form of the impressive mist they were now approaching. Helheim's Gate. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of flying to the nest before, the same nest Vikings had been after for the past 300 years. He had hesitated, it took him a whole day to make up his mind, but he decided he needed to know more about the war. He had prepared the journey carefully : Basic medical supplies, rations for a day, a blanket and a map amongst other things. Even though he planned to be back by sundown, he figured you could never be too careful.

At first Toothless had hesitated to take him to the nest. When Hiccup first told him he wanted to go there, the dragon's first decision was to refuse. He didn't want to go back, and he certainly didn't want his human to be in danger. But then he realized, that he needed to share his knowledge. He needed to let Hiccup know of what was in that volcano, and that the boy's culture obliged him to find out.

They were now engulfed in the mist, the sun was dimmed out and Hiccup couldn't see where they were going. Toothless could, and Hiccup trusted him, he understood where Toothless led them and adjusted the prosthetic accordingly. They zigzagged around the rock pillars that stuck out of the sea, swiftly dodging the grey shapes that suddenly appeared in front of them from the fog.

Hiccup was nervous, in fact he was terrified. But he was determined to go through with his objective. He breathed heavily through the mask, he had put away the dimmed lens to replace them with clear one. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to see anything with the lack of sunshine. They finally reached something, it looked like an island, with barren pebbly beaches and a volcano in the middle. The pair headed for a cave entrance on the side of the mountain that led to it's core.

They flew in, and were suddenly submerged in darkness, but they were also part of it. They glided silently down the winding tunnel, and finally reached the heart of the volcano. It was a massive cave that had no roof, it simply wound up to the volcano mouth. There was a massive pit in the centre of the cave, the fog that emanated from the pit forbade Hiccup from seeing what was down there, but a red light glowed from the hole. Dragons were all around, sitting on rock ledges or pillars. Thousands of eyes, thankfully not paying attention to them.

The pair landed by a rock column, hanging back in the dark. Hiccup observed as a party of dragons flew in from the same tunnel they came in. The small group of dragons flew over the pit, each droping some food they hauled into the red smog below.

 _They're not eating any of it..._

A single gronkle flew over the pit, but he wasn't holding any food. He open his mouth and spat out a fish, he prepared to fly off to join the other dragon but the mountain shook. Hiccup's eyes grew as wide as saucepans as a humongous dragon's head shot out of the hole and ate the gronkle hole. It was gigantic, it could have fit a hundred gronkles in it's maw. All the dragons in the cave suddenly crawled back in fear, including Toothless. The gargantuan dragon inhaled through it's nostrils, and turned to them, eyeing the pair with six massive eyes.

Terror took a hold of Hiccup, and he didn't need to say anything, Toothless was feeling the same. The pair shot up towards the mouth of the volcano, towards the sky. The hundreds of dragons around did the same, shrieking with horror as the giant dragon turned his head up and started inhaling. The swarming, swirling dragons would not escape the fire realized Hiccup, nor would they. His mind went into overdrive, thinking for survival.

Toothless sensed that Hiccup had an idea. He didn't know what, but he awaited a signal as he furiously beat his wings to propel them up into the sky. The colossal dragon was about to burn all of them to a crisp. He could hear the inhaling reach a climax. It was about to fire.

Hiccup timed it, estimated the right moment to strike, mostly by gut instinct.

 _Just a little longer, a little longer..._

" NOW ! "

The pair flipped in the blink of an eye, and shot a purple plasma bolt straight into the humongous dragon's mouth. They flipped again and flew up at full speed, maybe they would have a chance. The big dragon spluttered and choked on it's own fire it was about to shoot, until the pair had repelled back into it's guts with a single shot. It's insides were burning, it was furnace about to blow. It fell back into the pit with a hoarse howl. But an enormous explosion shook the mountain and the thunderous sound blew Hiccup's eardrums, he would be slightly deaf for the next week or so. A massive sea of round flames charged up, chasing the dragons out of the volcano. It threatened to engulf them in a fiery chaos. The rock crumbled and collapsed, chunks of stone plummeted down, attempting to hit the black pair that flew up with all their might. The hot air burned Hiccup's back and propelled them up even faster. The fire wasn't far behind. They weren't far from the mouth of the volcano. They could make it.

 _Just a little more, a bit more..._

They emerged into fresh, cold air. Hundreds of dragons were gushing out of the collapsing volcano, fire blew out of every crack in the rock. The pair glided away, both panting heavily.

" That...was...I..." Wheezed the boy.

The dragon answered with an equally flabbergasted wail. " **We...We killed her, the alpha...The dragons they're free...** " Hiccup couldn't understand him just now, but Toothless felt sure that his clever rider would figure it out when both of them had recovered from the ordeal.

They flew back to Berk, silently, each musing on what had happened. When Hiccup had recovered the use of his mind, it didn't him long to figure out the truth. All was logical and made sense. They each thought of what the dead alpha would mean for everyone. There would be no more war, no more raids. No more conflict. But no peace, Hiccup had no faith in convincing the Vikings to see the truth. It couldn't be done.

* * *

The pair were now in the cove, Hiccup sitting up against Toothless rambling on about what just happened. The dragon was lying down, listening intently.

" So the big dragon, it could mind control other dragons ? "

Toothless nodded and crooned softly.

" I imagine you were mind-controlled by her until I shot you down that night. "

Toothless nodded again.

" There won't be any war any more will there ? "

Toothless shook his head. Hiccup sighed.

" Too-...Toothless ?"

The dragon opened his eyes wide, sensing uneasiness in his voice.

" I-...I always meant to ask you this...But I never did..." The boy bit his lip." Do you regret loosing your tail ? "

The dragon's jaw gaped open slightly, the dragon was totally taken aback by the question. He wailed softly and rest his head on the boy's legs.

" **If it meant meeting you, and getting away from the alpha...Then it was worth it.** "

The boy didn't understand the words exactly, but he knew what the dragon meant. Toothless and the boy lay like that silently for a long while. Both of them, a single black mass, intertwined. The dragon's tail wrapped around the boy while his head rested on the frail figure's legs.

Hiccup and the dragon were breathing slowly, heavily, synchronised. The boy could hear the creature's powerful heartbeat, like a powerful drum sounding from the depths of the ocean. The breeze sighed as it breathed through the trees. He thought back as to what happened exactly, and he found he felt a very peculiar feeling. Since they had slain the alpha, Hiccup felt he no longer owed anything to Berk. Until now, he always had this nagging feeling in his guts and brain that prevented him from leaving. A terrible emotional anchor that held him back. But in slaying the alpha, the chain had been broken and Hiccup felt like some sort of duty had been finally accomplished. He was free.

" We can leave you know."

" **Yes.** " Breathed the dragon.

" I think we will."

" **Are you capable ?** " Inquired the dragon by lifting his ear and growling softly, eyeing his beloved human with a half opened eye.

" I feel like I'm finally capable of leaving." Answered the boy, only slightly aware of the question the dragon had previously asked.

" **Well,** **i** **n the meantime...** " The dragon yapped burying his head into the bag Hiccup had set down besides him, the same bag that contained the rations for a day.

" Hey ! leave me some, you greedy brute ! " The boy yanked the bag with both hands, but the dragon also had a solid grip with his teeth. They were up in the blink of an eye, playing tug-of-war with a bag that was bound to rip any moment now. The boy planted his feet solidly on the ground, but the dragon simply pulled harder. Hiccup was soon enough being dragged around the cove by Toothless, still holding on to the bag, the beast simply ignored all the protests the boy was throwing at him, he just returned a smug smile as he dragged the boy around.

They had lunch for the next hour or so, and when they were done, Hiccup pronounced the plan which he had been cooking up for a while now as they bathed in the sun by the lake in the cove.

" I'm not going to give up on them yet, I'll give them a chance. A chance to see the truth, that dragon's aren't what they think. "

Toothless gave a worried huff, tilting his head.

" No, don't worry. We're not just gonna land on the plaza and say ' Hey ! dragons are actually nice ! By the way this is Toothless, a night fury. Don't ask about the name, it's along story !'. "

The dragon's worried traits were quickly replaced by amusement. And both of them sat there giggling like a pair of idiots for next minute or so at Hiccup's last statement. Hiccup finally recomposed himself and resumed to explaining his plan.

" We'll be clever about it, we'll use letters to communicate. They'll never know it's me, and depending on how it goes we may or may not stay. If they finally see the truth, Vikings and dragons living together peacefully might even become a reality."

Toothless snorted in agreement " **Sounds good.** "

" Glad you like my genius plan."

The dragon rolled his eyes " **Such genius...** "

" Hey ! I haven't seen you come up with any plan at all."

" **Plans aren't my thing.** "

" Unimaginative brute."

" **Whatever**..."

Hiccup brought out his notebook and charcoal pencil from his flight suit and ripped out a blank page. He lay it on his lap and started writing.

 _To Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk, and all those he deems worthy to read this letter..._

* * *

 **What will happen to Hiccup ? Will things go wrong ? Or wonderfully well ? I guess you'll just have to wait !**

 **Hope you enjoyed ! tell me what you think !**

 **Rant over !**


	9. Chapter 8 : Gone

_To chief Stoick the Vast of Berk, and to all those he deems worthy to read this letter._

 _I am happy to announce, that my friend and I have ended a long lasting problem for Berk. The dragon war. It has been going on for over seven generations and it has finally come to an end. And although it has been going on for over three hundred years, Vikings still do not know the location of the nest nor the actual cause of the war. So I hope you will allow me to shine some light on the subject and share my knowledge :_

 _The dragons, actually have a pescetarian diet ( Meaning they only eat fish and sea food ) contrary to popular belief. Why then, do they repeatedly raid Berk, mostly stealing meat ? That is because they answered only to a powerful alpha of sorts who was carnivorous. That alpha, resided on the island in Helheim's Gate at these coordinates ( 48° 52′ 36″S, 123° 23′ 36″W ), It had the awful ability to mind control the dragons into serving and feeding it. Until recently, my friend and I have slain the beast, hence freeing the dragons, and as a consequence, ending the war. I write you this letter not because I expect a recompense, but because I wish to show you the truth._

 _Dragons are not what you think they are, they can prove to be loving and faithful if you are in return. My hopes aren't high that I shall manage to convince you, after all, dragon killing and general stubbornness is the foundation of the Viking culture. But consider this, my friend isn't human, he is a dragon. And he helped through difficult times and fought alongside me, he helped me against the giant alpha whose size equalled half of Berk. I know no man who would do that for me._

 _If you doubt the legitimacy of my story, I will say only this : You will not receive any more organised raids, and the island I have indicated above holds the greatest dragon cadaver in the world. Now covered in a collapsed volcano and burnt from the inside, I invite to go see for yourself._

 _If you wish to answer this letter, you may pin your response to the first tree closest to the forest path from the village_.

 _I hope you finally open your eyes to the world around you._

 _Signed :_

 _A dragon's friend._

Stoick looked up from the paper he held in his hands to glance at the crowd of Vikings that stood before him. He had just finished reading the letter and the main hall was completely silent. The massive crowd of Vikings that was crammed into the hall didn't say anything for a while, until someone uttered a question.

" What does _carnibarous mean ? "_

 _"_ I's _carnivorous,_ and means ya' only eat meat." Answered Gobber, who stood besides Stoick on the stage.

" What should we do ? " Asked another.

" We can't trust him ! " Yelled someone else.

" He says he befriended a dragon."

" Not possible !"

Soon enough the whole room was in an uproar. People arguing, yelling, shouting. Stoick rubbed his temples with two fingers of each hand, trying to sort his thoughts out. He suddenly slammed his fist on the table and roared.

" SILENCE !"

The din died down immediately and all eyes turned to the chief.

" There's only one way of finding out if the mysterious ' Dragon's friend' is a liar or not." He turned to Spitelout that stood on his right. " Brother, take ten men and our fastest ship and sail to these coordinates, we need to know as fast as possible."

" And while they're away ?" Asked a random Viking.

" We comb the forest ! We search ! We'll find this fiend and bring him down !"

There was a general _Hurrah !_ and everyone dispatched to what they all had to do. Gobber turned to his friend Stoick, concern was written all over his face.

" Ye' think he's lying ?"

" I don't know..." Stoick stroked his beard, thoughtful. "...Who would lie about befriending a dragon ? The fact is, he's on Berk. And I don't like that, nothing happens on this island without me knowing about it !"

" Aye we'll find find him."

" And we'll bring him down."

" An' what about tha' nomads ? The High Sea Wanderer's ? "

" They leave tomorrow...They don't need to know anything."

" Aye your right. I'll help prepare the ship to Helheim's Gate."

Stoick stared down at the map in front of him on the table as the blacksmith hobbled of. Could it be true ? Could the dragon war really be over ?

* * *

Hiccup saw it, the little sheet of paper, pinned to a tree by dagger. It fluttered in the wind like a leaf. He had been waiting for it for days now. Every night he'd check the tree from afar, but he was disappointed every time. And at last, after five days of waiting in the woods and hiding in the trees from the Viking search parties, Berk had answered.

He waited a couple of minutes, looking for anything that could indicate a trap or ambush. But he saw nothing and he jumped down from the branch he was standing on, landing with little noise. He walked over to the tree and grabbed the paper. But he didn't read it. He slipped it behind a strap going across his chest from his flight suit and walked back to the cove. Toothless was waiting for him when he reached his new home, and he slumped down by the fire they had made.

" They finally answered !"

Toothless crooned with curiosity. Hiccup drew the paper and read it out loud.

 _To the 'Dragon's Friend', traitor to his own race._

 _We find your story hard to believe, and your outrageous statements an insult to Berk. Mark our words when we say we will find you and capture you, before making you pay for the terrible lies you claim to be truth. You are a disgrace to human-kind, believe me when I say when no one from Berk would turn into someone like you._

 _I hope to have the pleasure of killing you myself._

 _Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk._

The letter was short and to the point. Although Hiccup expected such a response, he was greatly saddened at Berk's answer. He sighed, at least he knew what to do now. He ripped out another page and wrote.

 _To Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk._

 _I am disappointed and saddened by your response, but I suppose I should have expected such a reaction. It would be a lie to say that I'm sorry that it's come to this, but I must leave. Probably for the best, I may come back someday, for another attempt at spreading the truth. In the meantime, I suppose Berk simply isn't ready. Hopefully it will be someday._

 _Farewell,_

 _A dragon's friend._

Short and to the point. He folded the letter and slipped it under a strap of his suit. Stoick would find it pinned to his front door by a black crossbow bolt in the morning.

* * *

Hiccup was walking back from the village, he had just pinned the message to Stoick's door. He was camouflaged by the darkness, his footsteps made little sound as he crept back to the cove, thoughtful. He heard a yell behind him, he was so deep in thought that he hadn't seen a Viking behind him. He turned around, only slightly afraid, he was very close to the cove where Toothless lay waiting for him. He stared at the Viking behind him, his face covered by the mask.

Astrid stood there, with her axe in one hand and a torch in the other. She stared hatefully at the barely visible dark figure in front of her. She turned behind her and yelled again.

" He's over here ! "

He looked around, he saw many small lights that emanated from torches converge around their location, soon enough there were Vikings all around him. Each armed with axes, nets and bolas. Hiccup swallowed, his terror not showing from behind the mask.

" We've got you now you piece of shit ! " Spat Astrid.

Hiccup wanted too raise his arms above his head to show that he meant no harm, but thought better of it. He drew his crossbow, but didn't deploy it, he left it hanging limply at his side.

" Get him !" Shouted a Viking. But Hiccup pointed his crossbow at the nearest person, which just happened to be Astrid. He deployed it with a _snap !_ and just stood there, silently threatening the girl. The Viking that had stepped forward stopped. Hiccup's mind was racing, he needed to leave now.

Suddenly, he shot a Viking in the foot and ran past him out of the closing circle of mountainous men. They went after him, but they were all very slow as Vikings are. Hiccup raced between the trees, panting heavily, his only pursuer was Astrid. He changed course and veered towards the cove. He had put some distance between him and the girl but she was still on his tail.

"...LEAVING ! We're leaving ! Toothless we've gotta go, now ! "

Hiccup jumped onto Toothless's back in a single practised, fluid motion. And they were off. The only thing Astrid heard when she had sprinted into the cove was a _Whoosh_ _!_ in the darkness. They were gone. 

* * *

The pair sliced through the night, gliding fast on the air currents they were riding. Hiccup breathed in the fresh air of the north. Toothless crooned softly and looked back at his rider, concern in his eyes.

" I'm fine bud, really." He sighed and gazed at the massive white moon. It was quite beautiful " no regrets."

" **Good** " Growled the dragon. " **I'm happy we left...** "

" Where do we go now ?"

Toothless veered off course, and they started flying south. The dragon looked up at his rider with a cheeky grin. Hiccup gazed up at the stars and deduced their current course.

" South it is then..."

They flew gracefully all night, high above any problems or trouble they should encounter. They were free.

* * *

 **I bet you were all expecting it. Of course he runs away ! How could I resist not writing my very own hiccup-leaves-Berk story ?**

 **I'm sorry for those who thought they had finally found a story where hiccup doesn't run away. In my story he does. It's logical, he has the means and the motives yet in the movie he doesn't. But let me reassure you ! It's not gonna be like all the other running away stories. I promise.**

 **Tell me what you think, do you like it or hate it ? Hopefully you like it !**

 **Rant over**


	10. Chapter 9 : Last Vestige of the Past

**Hello again ! We join Hiccup in his escapade from Berk. We get a little sneak peak at what he's up to during his very prolonged vacation.**

 **And we also have a major change, you will see ! I don't know if you'll like it or not, I hope you'll like it. Tell me what you think. Love it or hate it or don't mind.**

 **Rant over !**

* * *

Hiccup woke up suddenly. He sat up immediately at the horrible, disgusting feeling of dragon saliva on his face. It was revolting.

" What the- Hey ! No don't- ! Sto-" He crawled away from the dragon. " Goddamnit Toothless ! I thought I told you to stop doing that ! " Hiccup was legitimately angry at the dragon. But Toothless didn't care, he simply rolled and contorted on the ground in a laughing frenzy.

" You know that doesn't wash out..." Hiccup walked over to the little stream they were camping by. But he was only half-awake and he tripped on a rock, and landed face first into the water. Toothless howled with laughter again.

" Raaaarggh ! " Roared Hiccup with frustration, this was going to be one of those days apparently.

They had only left Berk three days ago, they had been travelling at night, and staying on islands during the day. Hiccup had gotten used to their little island-hopping routine, but sometimes a certain mischievous night fury thought that it was a good idea to wake up his closest friend with a lick on the face. Hiccup hated the warm, icky, fishy, sticky, slimy dragon saliva, it was truly revolting.

Hiccup cleaned his face in the water, and looked up at the sun. It was a couple of hours until noon, at least Toothless had let him sleep in.

" What's wrong with waking me up with a nudge on the shoulder or something ? "

" **It's not as fun...** " Yapped the incredibly smug dragon, only just recovering from his fit of laughter.

" Seriously though, stop doing that..." The dragon didn't answer, he just smiled back. Hiccup knew he'd suffer the same awakening in a couple of days. Hiccup walked over to the bag that was strapped to Toothless's saddle and drew a piece of cooked boar meat wrapped in paper. It was breakfast.

" Looks like we're out of food..." Said hiccup with his mouth full, Toothless lay down facing him. " I'll go hunting later. I suppose you've already eaten ?"

Toothless nodded, he had gone down to the island's beach while Hiccup was asleep and had eaten more than his weight in fish.

" It'll also be an occasion to explore the island...I don't actually know how big it is." Said Hiccup, dragging himself to his feet and he strapped both the quivers to his back, one containing his crossbow and the other the bolts. He put on his mask and headed out of the clearing they were camping in.

" See you later ! I might need your help in hauling back the kill ! "

Toothless nodded and curled up on the ground, ready to have yet another nap.

Hiccup had been walking for over half and hour when he came across some tracks, but not animal tracks. Not unless animals wear boots. He heard a rustle in a nearby bush and he turned his head to face the bush that stood about ten meters away from him. He heard a whisper from the bush. He ducked behind a tree just in time to see an arrow fly by where he was just standing. He drew his crossbow and deployed it.

" Did you get it ?" Whispered someone.

" I don't think so."

" I'm gonna see ! "

" What are you crazy ?!"

" No ! I'm curious, that didn't look like any animal we know of ! "

" Cami come back ! "

Hiccup's mind crashed.

 _Cami ? What's she doing here ?_

" Cami, we should get back to the village ! "

 _Village ?!_

" You're just to scarred aren't you Hilda ? "

" But -..."

" Sshh ! "

Hiccup could hear them approaching the tree he was hiding behind, he was clutching his crossbow. He took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree and faced the pair. There, stood Camicazi, short and blonde as ever, her sword drawn and a curious and surprised expression at what she was seeing. Next to her, stood a younger girl with black and short hair, who held a bow and had a terrified look on her face. He pointed his crossbow at the black-haired girl. And began slowly stepping back towards were he and Toothless had set up camp. He needed to get out of here.

Camicazi approached Hiccup but he flicked his crossbow in her direction. She stopped but stood defiantly. Hiccup knew they would try something sooner or later, they were after all, Bog-Burglars. He couldn't believe he had just decided to set up camp on the island where the Bog-Burglars had their village. He should have investigated the rest of the island before settling down for the night. This could go very wrong.

Suddenly the black-haired girl drew an arrow from her quiver and pulled back the string of her bow. Hiccup fired next to her head and she flinched while releasing her own arrow, and it sailed up way above Hiccup's head. Meanwhile, Camicazi had charged the boy and she knocked his weapon out of his grasp. She then proceeded to brutally kick him in the stomach. Hiccup yelped and stumbled to the floor, she stood over him and held her sword over her head, ready to bring it down onto him. The poor boy only had time to bring his arm between himself and the swinging sword. The weapon bounced of his forearm, the metal bars had protected the boy's arm and he had miraculously withstood the impact.

Cami stared confused at her sword then at the boy. How could a simple pair of leather bracers possibly prevent her sword from tearing through the figure's arm and digging into it's chest ? She pointed her sword her sword down at him. Hiccup scrambled back frantically, in a feeble attempt at getting away from the menacing point of her sword.

" Who are you ? " She questioned menacingly. Hiccup didn't answer. " Who are y- ! " She never got to finish her question as a black form suddenly appeared from nowhere and body slammed her and full speed into her left. Toothless had her pinned to the ground with a paw on her chest and had his maw wide open. He was about to blast her into the ground for hurting his beloved human when Hiccup intervened.

" DON'T ! " He yelled with a hoarse cry, that kick had really taken it's toll, he could taste blood in his mouth. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed his crossbow and stumbled over to Toothless, who still held the girl pinned down. He was staring deep into her soul. Hiccup saw the terror in Camicazi's eyes, the same terror he felt when Toothless had him pinned down the day he met him and was staring down at him. He leapt onto Toothless's back, and turned to the black-haired girl, who stood frozen with a gaping mouth. She had dropped her bow when Toothless had slammed into Camicazi, Hiccup stared down at her from atop of the dragon. She stared back at the expressionless black mask, with those two dragon-like horns that curved back over his head.

" Looks like you'll live to tell the tale after all." And with these words the pair leaped away from the girls, ran a couple of meters before leaping up in the air and spreading their wings, they were gone in seconds. Hiccup and Toothless flew back to the camp site, they needed to pick up what they had left before travelling again.

" Thanks for saving me bud...But I had it sorted you know." Yelled Hiccup through his mask and over the powerful wind.

" **Yeah, yeah...You always do...** " Barked the dragon.

" Although I am happy to see you in situations like these."

" **Of course your happy to see me, I'm always amazing at saving the day !** " Blurted out the very humble dragon.

" Whatever...Let's just find some place to sleep tonight shall we ? "

And the pair sailed of again, forever making their way further and further south.

* * *

" It's busted..." Hiccup sighed. He held in his hands the remnants of a gear that used to belong to Toothless's prosthetic, until they tried to land in the dark, didn't see the rock and they smashed the tail-fin into the boulder. The rest was repairable but that gear was essential. He needed a forge to replace it. Hiccup slipped the pieces of broken metal into a pocket on his left thigh and walked over to Toothless, he placed a hand on the dragons nose and rubbed. The dragon crooned softly and pushed his head into the boy's chest.

" We're lucky there's a village on the other side of the island...I'll go there in the morning, see if I can borrow the forge for some cheap labour..." The pair lay down against a tree. Hiccup could feel the dragon pull a wing over him too serve as a blanket, warmth engulfed him. He heard the wind blow through the trees of the forest. They had travelled further south, but they were still in Viking lands. Soon enough, the pair was asleep, one of them snoring louder than the other.

Hiccup woke up to the icky feel of slimy, sticky, warm dragon saliva. He made the mistake of opening his eyes just as the tongue drew across his face with a sickening _Slurp_.

" TOOTHLESS ! "

The dragon exploded into a laughing fit. This dragon was driving him insane. He got up, wiped his face, had a quick roasted fish breakfast and headed off to the village. He was in full flight suit, mask included. Not only did it cover his face to avoid anyone remembering him and describing him to someone back on Berk, but it also offered a reassuring feeling when he wore it. It also meant that no one could see his facial expressions that often betrayed his feelings during conversation. He couldn't do a poker-face.

He walked into the small coastal village, it wasn't much bigger than Berk, and the Viking style houses were a bitter reminder of the place he recently left. He approached a man, who was sitting on a bench against a house. The man was repairing a net, and he looked up when he saw Hiccup approaching, he stared at the boy suspiciously, noticing that the stranger didn't carry any apparent weapons other than a small dagger on his thigh, ( he didn't recognise the folded crossbow in a quiver strapped to his back. ) but was entirely dressed in black and wore an equally dark mask.

" Hi " Started Hiccup, trying to sound confident.

" Hi..." Answered the man, his voice full of suspicion.

" Do you have a blacksmith around here ? "

The man simply pointed at a hut with a smoking chimney.

" Thanks " He walked over to the hut and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with round muscles on his arms, he had a bushy red beard and wore a dirty leather blacksmith's apron.

" Hi." Repeated Hiccup.

" Hello..." Answered the blacksmith suspiciously with a deep voice. " Can I help you ? "

" Yeah, you see I need two metal gears...And I was hoping you'd let me use your forge in exchange for some work."

The man simply stood there, he scanned Hiccup from top to bottom before talking. " Aye, come in."

Hiccup walked in, he felt the familiar feeling of being engulfed by heat when walking into a forge. It was a classic setup. Hearth in the centre with a barrel of water, work tables against the walls and weapons hanging over them by hooks or on shelves. The blacksmith gestured to a grindstone in the corner.

" You can start by sharpening those swords over there. Then you can make your gears." He pointed again at a pile of swords.

 _Great...More sharpening..._

* * *

Hiccup had finished sharpening his first sword before the blacksmith finally decided to start a conversation.

" So..." He said while hammering some soon-to-be nails into shape. "...What's your name ?"

Hiccup had thought about his name, he never liked it. He had decided that running away meant a complete change, he wasn't Hiccup any more. His old self was gone, the weak, stumbling hiccup, the fool of the village, the disappointment, was gone. He was a new boy entirely. He was determined to leave his past self behind. 'Hiccup', would just be a bitter reminder of his past life.

" Gadron Finred "

" Look, no offence but...That's an unusual name you got there."

" I know..."

" I'm Brandt, Brant Erlend "

" Nice to meet you..."

" What's with the mask ? "

Gadron didn't answer, he didn't want the blacksmith to think he was hiding his identity. He could lie...But he was a bad liar. He didn't know what to do. He started to panic.

" Something happened to your face ? You seem to have worked in a forge before..." The blacksmith stared at Gadron, who simply looked down in silence at the sword he was sharpening. The sound of grindstone filled the air during the silence that followed. " You don't want to talk about it...I understand." He walked over to a tool rack to get a different hammer and went back to hammering the nails. " How did you here ? "

" I have a boat on the beach on the other side of the island..."

" Ah ! A sailor..."

" Not exactly."

" You alone then ? "

" Yeah...It's a long story. "

" We got plenty of time."

Gadron picked up another sword from the pile and started grinding. " I left home..."

" Why ? " The blacksmith seemed worried.

" I wasn't banished for any crime if that's what you're thinking." Chuckled Gadron through the mask.

" I wasn't thinking anything." Said the blacksmith, nevertheless looking relieved. " So why did you leave ? "

" You could say that I didn't...Fit in..."

The man raised an eyebrow.

" So I left."

" Careful with that one, it's the chief's sword." Warned the blacksmith pointing at a sword with a golden handle.

" Yeah I'll be careful" Assured Gadron as he picked up the valuable sword and set it on the grindstone.

" What's that on your back ? "

" What do yo-... Oh that ! That's my crossbow."

" That's a crossbow ? "

" Yeah...Lemme show you."

Hiccup drew his crossbow out of his quiver and deployed it with a _Snap !_. The blacksmith whistled, impressed.

" Who gave you that ? "

" I made it."

" You made that ?"

" Why do you think I need two gears ? "

" But it looks like it's working fine ! "

" The gears aren't for the crossbow."

" What are they for ?"

" Something else."

" Something else ?"

" Forgive if I want to keep the idea for myself."

The blacksmith simply grunted.

Gadron retracted the bow limbs and holstered the crossbow, quite satisfied at having impressed someone with his invention. When he was finally done with the sharpening the blacksmith let him make the gears. He only needed one but he wanted a spare in case something else of the sort happens. He was done quickly, it only took him an hour to make them. The blacksmith mad him arrange some weapons on the wall for him before he left. He strolled out of the village with both gears in his pocket. He ignored all the suspicious looks the villagers shot at him.

He was nearly out of the village but a very important looking Viking with a grey a curly grey beard flanked by two others intercepted him before he could walk away. The Viking was as big as a mountain and his voice seemed to shake the very earth.

" Hello there stranger ! "

" Hello..."

" I'm Chief Raul Knute the Just, what brings you to Mosfell ? " He stuck out his hand, but Gadron just backed off.

" Actually I was just leaving..."

" What's your name stranger ? "

" Gadron Finred."

" How did you get here Gadron ? "

" I uh...Have a boat on the beach on the other side of the island." He pointed.

" I see..."

" Look it was nice to meet you and everything but I really have to go." And he jogged off. The three Vikings stood there watching him run off.

" What a weird guy." Said one.

" Yeah...Why was he wearing a mask ? " Questioned the other.

" I dunno."

" Let's just hope he doesn't cause much trouble" Boomed the chief. " And that he's gone by morning."

* * *

" Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! " Yelled Gadron as he plummeted down towards the ground. It was a perfectly clear day, not a single cloud was in the sky at the moment. The powerful wind rushed alongside the boy, the sun was high in the sky and beaming down. Toothless fell besides Gadron howling with excitement. Both of them got closer as they fell, and the boy grabbed onto the saddle. He passed the hook of his harness through the ring attached to the saddle with a _click_ and fit his feet in the pedals. The pair pulled up gradually and levelled out just above the water, barely skimming the surface. They left a trail behind them on the flat sea as they flew faster than imaginable.

They pulled up, loosing a lot of speed but gaining just as much altitude. They now soared at a decent height.

" This never gets old ! " Yelled Gadron.

Toothless barked in approval. Gadron looked down to the flat, blue sea below and saw two white sails below.

" You thinking what I'm thinking "

" **Yup !** "

They dived towards the ships pulling up before they hit the water and flew between the ships. Gadron could hear the cries of surprise of the sailors as they flew by. Several minutes later, the white sails couldn't be seen any more. They flew all day before finally setting down on a tiny island for the night. Gadron had stopped counting the number of days since he had left Berk. He had stopped thinking about it altogether, he didn't regret anything, he didn't linger in the past. He chose to live the moment, to seize the day. So he pushed all worries and bad memories to the back of his mind and slept soundly under Toothless's wing. His only worry was whether or not he would be licked awake by the cheeky dragon in the morning.

* * *

( Flashback to Berk, a couple of hours after the ' Dragon's Friend ' left. )

" Stoick, have you seen Hiccup ? " Questioned Gobber as he hobbled over to the mountainous man. He was sitting alone in the hall at a table with a mug of mead in his hand, staring down at the letter he had found pinned to his door by a black crossbow bolt. He looked up at the blacksmith, drawn out of his thoughts on the letter.

" Eh...No, I was a bit preoccupied by the whole ' Dragon's Friend ' mess...Did something happen to him ? "

" I don't know...I can't find him."

" Did you ask the teens ?"

" They said tha' same thing as you..."

" But wasn't he here when when we went out looking for that fiend ? " A slight look of concern found it's way up to Stoick's brow. He hadn't paid attention to where his son was during the searches, no one had.

" Maybe, I dunno I didn't notice him then."

Stoick mused in silence for a while before stating. The single candle lighted up patterns on his creased face.

" He took him." He slammed a fist on the table, making the candle jump.

" Wha' ?"

" The ' Dragon's Friend ' Took him." He got up abruptly. " Let's search the island again ! We have to find him ! "

" Stoick...He's gone, it says in the letter he's left Berk ! "

" Then we'll go after him ! " Roared Stoick as he crashed through the doors of the hall out into the night. Gobber sighed and hobbled after him.

* * *

 **There we go ! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hiccup gets a new name ! Gadron. Tell me if you like it.**

 **The only problem is I'm used to writing 'Hiccup' not 'Gadron', so I often end up having to proof-read doubly in order to get the names right.**

 **next chapter in a couple of days !**

 **Rant over.**


	11. Chapter 10 : White City Walls

**Another chapter. Big, big changes. Hopefully this won't cause the story to suddenly go south in your opinion.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Rant over !**

* * *

Months had passed. Gadron and Toothless had left the barbaric archipelago long ago, hence the map he carried was totally useless, they had gone off the edge of it. But wherever they where, there were islands, many, many islands. It was definitely warmer much to the pair's comfort, but there were still four seasons. They had continued their island-hopping way of life, forever making their way further and further south. Anything they couldn't get themselves, they got from little settlements. Hiccup always wore the mask when visiting villages and whatnot, he even wore it when alone with Toothless. He had grown incredibly attached to it, although he had learnt the hard way that you shouldn't sleep with it. Or your face would be incredibly sore and marked for days to come.

They had gotten in a few fights. Mostly against bandits and criminals but also suspicious and unfriendly villagers. But they always had the situation under control thanks to Gadron's crossbow and Toothless's fire and claws. They always flew at night, under the cover of darkness and guided by the stars. In fact they had grown very nocturnal, always lazing around and sleeping during the day. Gadron hunted with his crossbow, and got Toothless to help haul the kills back. His dagger proved quite handy when it came to butchering, and he made some money by selling the raw hides in villages. The boy had learnt Saxon, he used it more and more as they travelled south, but much to his dismay he couldn't shake the Norse accent, allowing people to immediately recognise from where he came from. The 'dragon's friend' had built up a little reputation, Gadron had listened to tales in taverns of events that had happened in other villages. Some had claimed to have seen him, the ' mysterious dragon's friend ', but no one claimed to know what species of dragon he had befriended. To everyone, he was just a dangerous character, probably a made up story that spread across the lands. Gadron was fine with that, he didn't want any trouble caused by a potential reputation.

* * *

"It looks like a city !" Yelled Gadron from atop of Toothless's back. Both of them were flying in the night's sky towards a rather large island. But what was striking about that island was the big city situated on it's northern coast. Thousands of little lights globed together like fireflies, lighting up the white walls and five high towers that surrounded the city. It looked impressive, mighty, yet strangely peaceful. Somehow, Gadron felt curiously drawn to it.

Suddenly, Gadron's mind hatched an idea. It started out as feeling, deep inside his gut. Which then grew into a little spark of hope, tiny, but enough to start a fire. That hope, turned into a quiet thought as the pair glided down into the forest next to the city, they landed in a small clearing surrounded by rocks and boulders, pine needles and dried leaves littered the floor. An old dream resurfaced as Gadron climbed off Toothless and started gathering twigs to make a fire. People that lived in that city weren't Vikings, he could try something he had tried long ago but failed. He had pushed this failure to the back off his mind, but now he felt himself devising a plan.

Both the boy and the dragon lay tangled together in the cold night by the small fire they had made, sharing the heat as they usually did. Gadron always slept under the dragon's wing, wrapped up by Toothless like a cocoon, it was so comfortable and warm under there he probably would never be able to sleep in a bed ever again. The only sound you could hear was the heavy, powerful breathing of the dragon and the drumbeat of his heart. Total darkness surrounded him as he lay under the wing.

" Toothless ? You asleep ? " Croaked Gadron.

" **I am now...What do want ?** " Growled the dragon, annoyed at being woken from his peaceful slumber.

" I've been thinking..."

" **Uh-Oh...** " He snorted.

" Shut up you ! " Said Gadron, playfully punching the Toothless in the chest from under his wing. " Anyway, I've been thinking. What if we could show people the truth here ? They're bound to be more open minded right ?"

The dragon huffed, unsure about what he thought of Gadron's idea.

" Obviously it'll be risky... But we've always gotten away haven't we ? Whatever happens we can always just...Fly away... "

" **We could try...** " Crooned Toothless. Whatever happened he would always be there for his little human.

* * *

Gadron stood in the early morning light before the closed gates of the city. He looked up at the guard that stood on the gate-house peering down at him. The whole fortifications where made of white stone blocks that were hard to look at without being blinded by the way they shone in the sunlight, but thankfully, Gadron had his tinted glass panes equipped to his mask

" I WISH TO TALK WITH YOUR LEADER ! " Yelled Gadron in Saxon, he didn't care how corny it sounded.

" WHO ARE YOU ? " Yelled back the guard. Gadron knew that whatever happened, Toothless was no more than twenty meters away, hidden in the tree-line.

" SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO TALK WITH THOSE IN CHARGE ! "

The guard stared down at him, before disappearing from the wall. Gadron waited some time, about ten minutes or so before the great wooden gates before him opened. A military man walked forward, flanked by two spearmen wearing chain-mail. The men stopped a couple of meters before Gadron.

" Greetings stranger ! Welcome to Manarfell. I am Asmund, chief of the city guard." They shook hands, this was going better than expected : He didn't have an arrow protruding from his chest yet.

" Hi...I need to talk with whoever runs this city."

" The council ? Look I'm sorry stranger, but I'm not sure that's gonna be be pos-..."

Gadron interrupted the man, desperate to get to the point. " I wouldn't disturb them If it wasn't important. Believe me when I say they would want to hear what I have to say. "

The man stepped back and looked at the strange character, contemplating his options. " Ok..." He said, suspicious and thoughtful. " Follow us."

They walked through the gate into the city, they immediately headed for a big rectangular building made of grey stone and a blue tile roof. It was bigger than an average Viking great hall. They walked in through a small door in the side of the building as opposed to the the two main doors. When they were in the building, Gadron found himself in a small room with wooden walls and benches alongside the walls. He was told to sit by a gesture of the hand.

" I'm gonna have to ask you to give us your weapons." Said Asmund.

" I understand." Replied Gadron. He unsheathed his dagger and gave it to one the guards before drawing his crossbow from his back and handing it to the other guard. " Careful with that, the mechanisms are very fragile."

The guards looked confusedly at the stranger then at the crossbow, they didn't know what it was and now were a little afraid of it knowing it was a weapon.

" And the mask..." Continued Asmund.

" Sorry, I'm not going to take it off."

" Very well...You get to keep your mask. But if you do anything suspicious..."

" I get the point." Snapped the boy.

" Wait here." Grunted the chief of the city guard before walking out with the guards through another door that stood on the opposite wall of the one they came through. The boy must of waited at least a quarter of an hour before Asmund returned, opening the door he left through.

" They are waiting for you."

Gadron got up and walked into through the door into the massive room. Great curved beams of wood supported the heavy roof. There were at least twenty people sitting in a semi-circle on one big curved wooden bench before Gadron, Asmund caught his arm and walked him to the centre of the assembly. He let the boy go and spoke to an older looking woman that sat in the middle of the semi-circle and higher than the other council members.

" This is the stranger that wished to talk to you ! He claims he has some information of great importance to share."

" Thank you Asmund." Dismissed the older woman, the man turned and left, leaving Gadron alone before the council. " Welcome to Manarfell stranger. What is your name ? "

" My name is Gadron Finred."

" And why have you come to us ? "

" I wish to spread truth and knowledge about dragons." A murmur shot through the council

" Dragons ? " Inquired a council member.

" Yes dragons..." Gadron was very nervous, although no one could see that behind the mask. "...What do you know about dragons ?" He inquired.

" I'm afraid we ask the questions here." Said the woman with a stern voice.

" Please...Bear with me, what I have to say is important."

" Before you get to say what you have to say, we must know more about you. Answer our questions and then maybe you may tell us about dragons."

" Very well, but I ask that you hear me out completely before dismissing me, what I have to say might sound absurd."

The crowd grumbled.

" Very well..." Responded the woman

" Where are you from ? " Asked a council member with grey hair, definitely the oldest in the room.

Gadron though it best to tell the truth, he was a terrible liar anyway. " Berk, a small island way up north in the barbaric archipelago."

" That explains your Norse accent then..." Stated the woman.

" Why do you wear a mask ? Are you disfigured ? " Asked a girl sitting to Gadron's right, she was young, only about twenty.

" Well I'm not the handsomest if that's what you mean..." Chuckled the boy. "...But no, I'm not disfigured."

" Then why do you wear it ? "

" It's necessary for what I do...But I mostly wear it because I've grown very attached to it."

" What do you 'do' ? " Asked the young woman again.

" I'll tell you when your done questioning me."

" Can we see your face ? " Asked a man slightly to his left. The man was missing an arm and was totally bald.

" Uh..."

" Please." Demanded kindly the older woman who towered and presided over everyone from her higher position. Gadron brought his hands to the tips of the curved wooden horns and pulled back the mask over his head to hang behind his head on his upper back.

There was an explosion of murmurs.

" How old are you ? " Asked the presiding woman.

" I haven't counted in a while...But I must me about 16. Were you expecting someone older ? "

" To be honest...Yes."

Hiccup drew the mask back over his face, feeling better almost instantly.

" Why are you so far from home at such a young age ? "

" Berk isn't my home any more, I left."

" Did you commit a crime ? "

" No...Not exactly."

" Then why did you leave ? " Asked a bald, middle-aged man with a raspy, rattling voice, he had an old cut wound that drew across his throat.

" Because I didn't fit in, I was...Different..." He said sadly, gesturing to his body. " Everyone was disappointed with me, whatever I did. Then I did the most horrible unimaginable thing for a Viking."

" And what was that ?" Asked another woman of the council, slight concern could heard in her voice.

" You promised to hear me out to the end didn't you ? " Gadron wanted to make sure he wouldn't be struck down as soon as he spoke his next sentence.

" We did."

Gadron drew a long breath before stating. " I befriended a dragon."

The silence that followed was striking, but was promptly broken by a council member.

" That's not possible." He drawled.

" Dragon's are dangerous beasts ! They always go for the kill ! " Stated another.

" We have to shoot them down or they'll burn down the whole city ! " Cried the raspy man.

" I can prove to you that dragon's aren't what you think they are."

" How ? "

" If you follow me outside, and wait a couple of minutes, I'll introduce you to my friend."

" How do we know we can trust you ?"

" You can't, It's called a leap of faith. It's what I did when I met my only friend. I just cut him loose and prayed he wouldn't kill me. It ended up being the best thing I ever did."

The crowd grumbled and debated. Gadron waited some time before they finally decided to head outside. They gathered in front of the big building they had been sitting in and waited for Gadron to return, loudly debating whether or not he told the truth and if he could be trusted.

* * *

Gadron cleared his throat as loud as possible as to capture council's attention. The din died immediately and everyone looked up and gasped. They stood on the roof of the building, clutched to the blue tiles. They were quite a sight, both of them as dark as midnight, forming one deadly yet beautiful being. They leapt down from the roof and landed softly before the crowd who stepped back with gaping mouths.

" How...How did you- ? "

" I'll tell you my story inside, If you'll allow Toothless in..."

So they headed back inside, the council sat back down on the curved bench and Gadron stood in before them again, only this time he was flanked by his reptilian brother. He talked while scratching Toothless behind the ear to reassure him. The dragon didn't like being stuck in a room with so many people he didn't know, but he behaved. He tried not to look too hostile yet his piercing look made anyone who met his gaze wet their pants with terror. The council stared at the pair with a mix of horror, awe, terror and curiosity.

" So um...How did you come to meet...uh...? " Asked the older woman.

" Toothless...His name is Toothless."

" Toothless ? " Asked the young woman to his right.

" It's uh...Because of his retractable teeth. Show'em bud." Toothless opened his mouth and flashed his teeth out at them. The crowd gasped, Gadron chuckled.

The woman cleared her throat, trying to keep her cool." How did you approach him ? " She repeated nervously.

" We had many dragon raids up in the archipelago, one night I shot him down with a bola-launcher I had made. I found him in the woods the next day...He was still tangled in the ropes, I wanted to kill him and bring his heart to my father. It would have fixed everything...Showed everyone I wasn't as weak as they thought."

" But you didn't ? Why ? "

" Because I peered into his eyes and I saw myself. Scared and vulnerable. So I cut him loose, he could have killed me after but he just roared in my face and left. He remained trapped in a cove for the next few months or so and I got close to him...He was the only one to love me for who I am..."

" What is it he's wearing ? " Asked the raspy man pointing at the prosthetic.

" It's why he was stuck in the cove for so long. When I shot him down, the bolas ripped his tail-fin off. So I built him a prosthetic that I operate when riding him."

" You _ride_ him ?"

" How do you think I got here ? " Drawled the boy.

" What species is he ? "

" He's a night fury." Stated the boy nonchalantly.

The crowd gasped.

" That's a night fury !? "

" No...It's a giant black lizard." Gadron rolled his eyes behind the mask.

" How clever is he ? "

" Very, he can count and understand Norse and some Saxon...He's as clever as a human...The only trouble is the language barrier."

" Can I touch him ? " Said the girl to right.

Everyone fell silent. Was she mad ? She wanted to touch the _night fury_ ?

Gadron turned to Toothless. " Will you let her ? " He asked in Norse. Toothless's eyes grew wide, he really wasn't comfortable with those strangers. He looked at the girl then back to Gadron. " Please...I'll buy you some extra fish later on." Toothless huffed an ' _Ok but you better have that fish later.'_ and turned to the girl.

She got up slowly, she looked afraid. She cautiously approached the dragon, extending her hand. She stopped inches before the dragon's nose, holding her breath, but Toothless pushed his face into her hand and the whole crowd released the breath they were all holding.

" Toothless, _please_ don't lick her..." Pleaded Gadron in Norse, he didn't want everything to be spoilt by a licking incident. The girl was now rubbing circles on the night fury's nose, hence drawing a deep, loud purr from the dragon, she giggled. Not a sound you'd expect from a twenty year-old council member.

" Well this certainly changes things..." Concluded the old woman. "...You young man...Will have _a lot_ talking to do over the next few days."

Another council member continued the woman's statement." Yes, we will now discuss what to do. You will come back here shortly after noon, we will have come up with a decision by then."

" Very well." Gadron said simply before turning around and heading for the door followed by Toothless.

" Wait !" Gadron flipped around to face the council once more, he scanned the audience to find the source of the voice. His eyes fell on a boy barely a couple of years older than he was, it seemed that the council was composed of the most mixed ages possible. The boy continued. " Why are you doing this for us ? Showing us about dragons, and their undeniable potential. Why not keep all that knowledge for yourself ? You could have razed any city to the ground with such power."

Gadron took some time to muster his answer. " Because I've lived all my life in a place where dragons are butchered and massacred. I've tried to show them, it didn't work. I've always had this dream since I met Toothless, that dragons and men could live together and be stronger than they ever would be apart. I guess it was just a dream until I came here, I walked into this city praying that you would be more open-minded than Vikings. I must thank you for hearing me out to the end and not shooting me on sight. "

" I'm quite sure we haven't heard the end yet..." Said the old presiding woman. She looked down at Gadron with kindness in her eyes, a look Gadron wasn't used to endure.

Gadron exited the hall and flew off with Toothless, they immediately headed back to the clearing they had slept in last night. They hadn't had any breakfast and boy were they hungry !

* * *

 **Hiccup arrives at Manarfell, that could be good. Or bad. Or both...We will see...In the meantime. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that that you don't think this story is going south. Cause my sleeping schedule is...**

 **Please tell me what you think ! Is it good, bad, or terrible ? Next chapter will be up Friday !**

 **Rant over !**


	12. Chapter 11 : Trainer Not Tamer

A twig snapped. Gadron looked up from carving his dagger and scanned the rocks that surrounded the clearing. Toothless had already disappeared into the the darkness of the tree-line, he had picked up the habit whenever other humans had stumbled upon their camp sites in the past. They had learnt that Gadron could sometimes handle the situation without involving Toothless, if he did get involved that generally meant a fight. Gadron located the source of the noise, he believed it to originate from behind a boulder that stood half sunk into the ground straight ahead of him. He instinctively reached for his crossbow on his back but thought better of it. He got up from the tree he was leaning against, sheathed his dagger and put the sharpening stone in a small tight pocket build for the purpose on his left thigh. He walked slowly towards the boulder, he was terrified and normally would have run away, but knowing that Toothless was around gave him strength.

" He...Hello ? " He croaked. A short silence followed before a little voice came from behind the rock.

" Hi...Sorry f... for sneaking up on you." A small boy about eleven or twelve stepped out from behind the rock, he looked as terrified as Gadron and held both his hands together fumbling nervously.

Gadron breathed a sigh of relief. " It's fine...Uh...What's your name ? " He asked a little awkwardly, human contact hadn't been abundant these past months and he wasn't used to making normal conversation, then again he never was.

" Tarn. Tarn Oligvald " Simply stated the boy, nervously looking down at his feet. The boy was very small for his age, he had short black hair and a thin little braid running down the back of his neck. He seemed frail and a little weak, much like Gadron who still hadn't put on much muscle while living away from civilization. The boy's skin was pale, almost sickly, he looked like he was going to faint and collapse where he was standing.

" My name's Gadron Finred." He stuck out a hand down at the boy who stared wide-eyed at the dark gloved hand. He eventually reached up to shake it then quickly darted his hands back together again.

" You're a strange person you know that ? " The statement was blunt, but the voice held an incredibly innocent tone.

" Uh...More than you think kid." Chuckled Gadron as he went back to sitting up against his tree and sharpening his dagger. He knew Toothless was around here somewhere, observing them and listening, but that he wouldn't intervene unless things got particularly hairy.

" Why do you wear a mask ? " The boy asked again with the innocent voice.

" So many people ask me that question. They think I'm disfigured or something...I just like wearing it, I've grown attached to it. It hides my face."

" You ride a dragon don't you ? "

Gadron's heart skipped a beat, he suddenly stopped scraping the blade against the stone. A million thoughts raced through his head. _How does he know that ?! Did the council already announce this to the city ? Has he been spying on us all this time ?_ Things could go wrong if the kid went running back to his parents yelling that there's a dragon rider hiding in the woods. He tried to keep his cool, but nevertheless couldn't help answering with a shaky voice.

" What makes you say that ? "

The kid stated his explanation like it was obvious, every fact was processed in a logical manner leading to a conclusion. " Well firstly, I saw a black dragon take off from near the council hall, but no one believed me when I told them. Secondly, you wear a leather suit entirely black which would blend in perfectly with the dragon. Also that suit is obviously a harness, judging by the straps crossing over your chest. Also I suppose that lead is to stay on the saddle isn't it ? "

Gadron took some time to recover from the kid's detailed analysis of his attire and the conclusions he drew from them. He saw straight through his secret, even if he hadn't seen them take off this kid probably would have suspected something when seeing him for the first time.

" You're quite the clever, logical type aren't you ? Very straight-to-the-point."

The boy shrugged." I like it when things make sense, but you didn't answer my question. " He wasn't letting go.

Gadron sighed and started sharpening again. " Yeah, I ride a dragon."

" Wow ! What species is he ? " Eagerly asked the boy, he seemed exited and fascinated as opposed to terrified and revolted. Much to Gadron's surprise.

" He's a ni-..."

" Night Fury ! " Finished the boy instead of him, his eyes glowing in awe.

" How did yo- ? "

" Cause it's the only undocumented black dragon in the library ! It's never been seen in Manarfell we only know about it through traders." The boy was nearly hopping up and down with excitement. " Is he around here ? "

" Uh...Yeah." Gadron got up and clicked his tongue twice, signal that all was well and that the coast was clear. The dragon fell from a tree, graciously landing as silent as a shadow behind little Tarn. The boy turned around and his eyes grew as wide as plates. Toothless didn't growl, but stared a deadly stare into the boy as he circled around him to Gadron's side. Gadron patted the dragon on the head when he reached his side.

" Toothless, try to behave. He hasn't shot us or drawn a sword, that's a good sign I'd say."

Toothless relaxed a bit at that statement, and both of them sat down besides each other. Tarn did the same, sitting before the stranger and the dragon with legs crossed under him.

" Why 'Toothless' ? "

" Because he has retractable teeth." The dragon proudly shot out his array of white blades, he always loved to show off.

" What's he wearing on his tail ? "

" His tail fin was torn off when I shot him down, so I made him a prosthetic I control when we fly."

The boy stared in amazement at the complicated yet incredible mechanisms. Then Gadron's words sunk in. " Wait, you shot him down ? "

" A long time ago, during a dragon raid. I got him with a bola launcher I had made. No one believed me when I told them I shot down a night fury."

" No one believed me when I told them I saw one. They never believe me for anything..." Tarn's voice had lost the awe, excitement and innocence it held moments before. Only to be replaced by sadness and regret.

" ...They just wave you of with a disappointed scowl." Completed Gadron. " They're always so disappointed in you, whatever you do. Yet they never expect anything from you."

" You seem to know how it feels..."

" I lived it for fifteen years, until I got fed up."

" You flew away ? "

" Of course. I lived with Vikings ! "

" I thought so...You can tell by your accent. How did you manage to leave your parents behind ? "

" My mom died when I was young and my dad never really cared about me so..."

" I lost both my parents when I was born, they died in a fire..." He stated it with a tinge of sadness, but no more. Then he realized. "Why am I telling you this ? "

" I figured out it lifts a weight off your shoulders just to talk to someone, I had Toothless. If I hadn't, I would have gone mad."

" Riding a dragon is pretty crazy already, let alone befriending a night fury while living in a Viking village."

" Yeah, well I'd have gone _madder._ "

" That's very hard to beat." Giggled the boy.

" So where do you live ? If your parents are...yknow'..." Gadron was very uncomfortable now. As usual in conversations, he had dug himself into a hole.

" I live with my uncle, but he only cares about my cousin...He leaves me alone and doesn't care what I do. It wouldn't be hard leaving _him."_

Gadron looked at the boy and was reminded of himself when he lived on Berk. Small, weak and despised. Gadron had coped by inventing things and by having Toothless listen and support him when he needed it. Tarn seemed to find refuge in logic, deduction and the acquiring of information. But he didn't seem to have anyone to listen to him. Gadron looked at Tarn and saw a poor little boy who had grown too mature for his age and has been trying to stay strong for too long.

They spent the next hour together, they filled it with friendly chit-chat and and Gadron introduced Toothless properly. The dragon actually seemed to enjoy the company of the boy as he didn't see him as a threat in any way. Gadron had learnt that Tarn worked at the archery range, he set up targets and sorted arrows ect...As he guessed, Tarn lived a hard life, wasn't integrated with the others of his age who constantly mocked him. Although he had an incredible skill with numbers and logic problems.

Tarn had asked what was the thing Gadron had on his back, and he showed him the crossbow. The boy was impressed by the weapon and Gadron's skill at wielding it. Eventually, the rider and his dragon bid farewell to Tarn as they had to head back to the council hall as they had been asked. When they got there, they were greeted by the old woman ( Whose name they learnt was Lady Elloquan ) and the man with the raspy voice. They were told that they had been announced to the population of Manarfell and that the council demanded a demonstration of dragon taming.

" It's a Monstrous Nightmare, we keep him in our a arena in a steel cage. He was bought from Viking traders a week ago, we were going to sacrifice him to our god, but we've now found a better use for him."

" Very well, just...How hungry is he ? " Asked Gadron, a little nervous.

" It was fed everyday." Answered the raspy man.

" Good, that means he won't want to eat me as much."

" We took the precaution of it him an hour ago."

" Thank you."

" Follow us, the arena is that way."

They walked up a main street that climbed up the slanted city, people stared curiously at the black stranger with a mask walking with two of the most respected counsellors of the island. In Gadron's long experience of awkward stares, he noticed that most of them were stares of ' Who is he ?' and not of ' He shouldn't be here ! '. He was glad he hadn't brought Toothless along. Eventually, Gadron asked a question that had been nagging him since the start of the day.

" Why are you doing all this ? Letting me show you the truth, others would have captured me or killed me. They wouldn't have believed...Yet you people do."

The raspy man turned to him as they walked, he spoke with compassion through his broken voice. " The council recognises your worth, many are sceptical, but most want to believe that dragons can help. If it is achievable, this will be the dawn of a new wondrous and golden area ! The council can also see an outcast when it shows up before it. We counsellors can see that you have travelled far, but wherever you went, you had to either hide or run. You suffer from a lack of integration. It's practically written on your forehead." He chuckled at that last sentence.

" Here we are, the arena." Spoke the Lady.

The three walked under a big gate (very similar to the one on Berk ) leading into a circular arena. It was bigger than the one on Berk, but instead of the spectators seating above the pit, they stood behind metal bars that went all around the stone bowl. The people had a first hand view of the show at the contestant's level. Above, a makeshift hexagonal chain grid hung over the arena, probably to prevent the dragon from flying away. In the centre, a monstrous nightmare lay curled up in a cubic metal cage. The two council members left Gadron alone in the arena and closed the gate behind them, leaving the boy locked in with the dragon.

Gadron stared around, the entire council stood behind the bars staring intently. Awaiting a result. There were also about another hundred citizens, most wore curious looks on their faces. Men and woman of all ages stared at the masked stranger. Some expected him to succeed, most were here to watch the massacre. The crowd didn't make much noise, just a steady buzz of conversations and predictions. Gadron sighed and stared back at the dragon in the cage.

" Showtime..." He mumbled to himself. He walked over to the cage and gently tapped the metal get the dragon's attention. It looked up, glared at Gadron with a look that seemed to say ' What do you want ? ' The boy could sense the dragon's hostility. He drew his crossbow, lowered it to the ground and kicked it away, he then took his dagger. The dragon growled. The boy tossed the blade aside, the dragon followed the dagger as it clattered across the floor and then looked back at the boy confused. It could sense he was different. The crowd was now completely silent. Gadron put his hands up and spoke softly.

" See ? No weapons." He then reached for the cage door latch and lifted it, and then stepped back. The dragon hesitated a second, it knew the door was unlocked but it simply stared at the ajar door. It suddenly sprung into action and burst out of the cage on fire. He ran around the arena and everyone stepped back from the bars exclaiming. The dragon soon started circling the boy, growling slightly, he was no longer on fire but his stare was so deadly it could set anyone alight.

" I'm a friend..." Said Gadron, raising his open hands up to show he held no weapons. The dragon stopped circling, and slowly crept towards the boy, he had stopped growling. The crowd stared in awe, it was a miracle he wasn't killed on the spot by the beast.

The dragon dragon was now only about two meters away, Gadron extended his hand slowly but the dragon growled and backed off. The boy drew a deep breath, knelt and turned his head away, holding his breath and clenching his eyes shut behind the mask. The leap of faith. This was where everything would go wrong, this is where the dragon would bite off his hand and rip out his throat or spray him with fire, turning him into a little charred heap of burnt flesh and bones.

But Gadron felt the touch of the dragon's nose through his glove. The crowd gasped. Gadron looked up at the bemused crowd. He took off his gloves and rubbed the dragon's nose, who promptly started purring with delight.

" Anyone want a dragon ? " Exclaimed Gadron half-jokingly through the mask. No one answered. " Surely Manarfell can offer someone courageous enough to try ? " Everyone looked away from the sweeping gaze of the dragon trainer. Who scanned the crowd.

" I'll do it." Said a man. He walked away from the bars and a minute later he was walking into the pit. He was about thirty, he had long blonde hair that reached his shoulders. He was lean and athletic and walked with confidence but faltered as he stepped through the gate into the arena.

" Come, there's nothing to fear." Gadron gestured to the man to approach, keeping a hand on the dragon's nose. The man approached. " What's your name ? "

" Eluf." He replied, his voice tinged with fear.

" Put you hand on the dragon's nose Eluf."

The man looked at the stranger, then back at the dragon. He drew a deep breath and extended his hand slowly. The dragon eyed him curiously. He stopped inches before the dragon's nose, but the beast pushed his face into the man's hand. Eluf expired nervously, but a weak smile crept up in the corners of his mouth. " Wow..." He uttered, totally flabbergasted.

Gadron got up, and stepped back, leaving Eluf with his hand on the dragon. " Name her."

" What ? "

" This is your dragon now..." He started pacing around the arena, he spoke loudly, not only to Eluf but to the crowd and the council. "...You must grow to have a strong bond of trust. You cannot tame a dragon, you can only befriend him. You two must learn to trust each other more than family. If you jump off a cliff, you must trust her to catch you. If she jumps off a cliff, you must jump after her knowing she won't let you die. When you'll ride her, she'll be trusting you with making the decisions and you'll be trusting her with the flying. Sometimes you'll have to trust her fully, when you fly in a fog for example. This cannot be a master and slave or master and pet relationship. You must accept the fact the dragon is as intelligent as you and should be treated as equal. You will, over time, learn how to communicate without talking. You will learn to love your dragon as if she was part of you and you were part of her. Only then, can you become a dragon's ally. And it all starts here... Name her."

Eluf stared at the dragon trainer, one hand still on the dragons nose. This was crazy ! He had only come down to touch the dragon, to prove to the rest of Manarfell that he wasn't afraid. And now the trainer was talking about bonding, and _riding the dragon_. He didn't want any of this. Eluf turned to the dragon and their eyes locked, at that moment something clicked in the man's mind. Gadron could see it, the birth of the bond. That look in Eluf and the dragon's eyes, both of them bore that look that meant the start of something great. For a while, nothing happened. The man was flooded with an unknown powerful feeling that washed away all his previous thoughts and left only one left : 'This is _the_ dragon I want as a friend ' Eluf looked up from the dragon's gaze and spoke loudly, more to the crowd than to Gadron.

" Galzra, her name is Galzra ! "

" Good." Gadron turned to the council. " Here is Manarfell's first dragon's friend, Eluf. I could teach them anything I know, If you let me. Their progress will be gradual, like learning anything it will be tough and slow but worth it in the end. "

" This is truly incredible." Said one council member.

" I've never seen anything like it ! " Said another.

" The possibilities are infinite."

" Please ! Please ! Order..." Shouted Lady Eloquan over the din which promptly died down. "...The possibilities and actions regarding dragons will be discussed in due time. In the meantime, It is time to head down to the main hall for supper. I suggest we invite our helpful friend to join the people of Manarfell in the hall."

" All in favour say 'aye' ! " Shouted the raspy man.

 _Aye !_ Yelled every single council member. The crowd and council dispersed, Gadron headed out of the pit but he heard a voice behind him.

" Hey ! Hey dragon trainer ! "

Gadron swivelled around to face Eluf, who had Galzra sitting faithfully by his side.

" What do they eat ? " Questioned the man.

" A lot of fish and a lot of attention ! " Yelled back Gadron as he strolled out of the arena after the crowd. He chuckled, he'd let him find out by himself just how much fish and attention a dragon needed. " Just don't give her any eel ! They hate it ! "

* * *

Gadron stood in the main hall, the noise was incredible. Then again, half the city was there to eat. Tables were spread out randomly throughout the hall, each wooden and rectangular with four wooden stools on either side. He observed the citizens obtain their food. It seemed simple enough, you would just grab a wooden platter from that long table that stood against the wall and sit down at a table, and when you were done you place the platter on the table on the other side of the hall.

Gadron claimed a platter and sat down at an empty table. As soon as he sat a very excited little boy plonked his heavy platter down in front of him and sat down.

" That was incredible ! " Yelled Tarn.

" What was ? "

" The taming you did ! "

" I didn't tame anything, Galzra is still as wild as any other dragon. I just taught her to trust humans that's all."

" It's still awesome."

" Whatever you say..."

He was about to turn to his food when someone sat down next to him. It was a girl his age with short brown hair and mad grey eyes.

" Hi ! "

Gadron thought he would never get to eat, he was starving. " Err...Hi ? " He answered awkwardly.

" I've heard that you tamed a nightmare."

He sighed with exasperation. " I didn't tame him, I taught him to trust humans...Not the same thing."

" Still, pretty impressive...What's your name ? "

Gadron heard an explosion of laughters and sniggers behind him. He looked over his shoulders and saw a group of teenagers of all ages sitting at a table about ten meters away.

" This is a dare isn't it ? " He questioned.

" Yes..It is. So what's your name ? "

" Gadron " He sighed before lifting his mask back over his head, there's no point trying to eat with a mask on. Tarn and the girl stared at him as he tried to get through the rice. It made him nervous. " What ? You've got my name haven't you ? "

" Yeah I know, it's just I didn't expect someone like you to be so..." She gestured at him.

" Young ? "

" Yeah."

" And you're a Viking too, it's extremely unlikely for any Viking to even think of befriending a dragon. " Said Tarn.

" You're a Viking ?! But you don't look...'Vikingy' ."

" I _was_ a Viking, a long time ago..."

" Of course he was a Viking, can't you tell from the accent ? " Added Tarn.

" Shut up _pipsqueak_ ! " Snapped the girl.

Gadron saw first hand that Tarn had a nickname : ' _P_ _ipsqueak_ ' Dozens of unwanted memories came flooding back in into his mind. He remembered his old name : ' Hiccup the _Useless_ '.

Tarn didn't answer, he just bore his verbal beating without a word. The girl got up and went back to join the other teens at the table. She left with a small wave and a ' _See ya'._ '

" Sometimes I wish I could just run away like you did." Said Tarn, he looked miserable, and just poked at the rice in his plate. Someone tapped on Gadron's shoulder. _Bloody Hell ! Am I ever going to be able to eat ?!_. He turned and saw the raspy man who leant down and whispered something in his ear. Gadron nodded and the man left. Gadron swivelled around to face Tarn, who still wasn't used to seeing Gadron's face. The teenager stared at Tarn with a toothy grin.

" What ? " Asked Tarn, slightly irritated by the fact that he knew Gadron was withholding information from him.

" No nothing..." Chuckled Gadron, pretending to go back to his rice.

" No come on, tell me ! "

" Ok...How would you like to have a dragon of your own ? "

Tarn's jaw hit the floor and his eyes grew as wide as saucepans. Gadron laughed at the sight. _This is gonna be awesome !_ He thought.

* * *

 **So far so good ! Things are going as smoothly as they ever could in Manarfell. Maybe Gadron will find a new home here, you never know...The population seems to be taking the whole dragon training pretty well.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to tell me what you think !**

 **Rant Over.**


	13. Chapter 12 : Purple Dragon

**Hello ! Another chapter...I think this is one of my worst...I don't like it. But hey ! it makes the story progress even if the writing is shit.**

 **Otherwise I hope you enjoy the plot-line if not the writing.**

 **Don't forget to tell me what you think !**

 **Rant over**

* * *

Gadron found himself walking in Manarfell's arena for the second time this week. Two days ago he had been told by the council member with a rattly breath that they would have a dragon come in in the afternoon of that same day by trade ship, and that the council asked if Gadron could train it and help bond it with a citizen of Manarfell. The teenager had asked Tarn who accepted immediately. Both of them now stood in the arena, facing the metal cage that contained the dragon. There was at least triple the crowd there was on the first training, word had got around of Gadron's exploits. Not only that but the dragon he was about to train was very special and rare.

Gadron turned to Tarn who stood besides him terrified by the dragon that was curled up in the cage. " You better stand back a bit. " Tarn obliged and backed up another five meters. Gadron proceeded to turn to the crowd. " I recommend staying away from those metal bars ! "

He turned back to the cage and clapped his hands to get the dragon's attention, he didn't want to touch the metal cage. The purple dragon stood as tall as he could in the restricted area he was kept in. Gadron drew his crossbow, placed it on the ground and kicked away, he also did the same for his dagger. The skrill simply stared at him, Gadron unlocked the cage door. He was lucky he wasn't fried on the spot.

The dragon crept out slowly, gazing into Gadron's eyes even though he wore a mask. Gadron raised his empty hands, a gesture of peace. The dragon sniffed Gadron's feet, lost interest and moved over to Tarn, eyeing him with murder in it's eyes. It circled him like an eagle would it's prey, it looked like it would pounce on the terrified boy any moment now. The poor lad was whimpering and shaking but otherwise not moving.

" Stay still...Be calm..." Spoke Gadron softly. He was casually walking over to the boy and the dragon. The beast in question, had opened it's maw and started charging and electrical shot that would turn the poor boy to dust. But the masked dragon trainer walked between the two, stopped and turned to the dragon, who closed it's mouth and cocked it's head questioningly. Why did this strange human walk so serenely between his target and the most destructive fire-power in the world ?

" Please...Don't..." He said simply and outstretched his hand. " Tarn, come over here." Tarn walked next to Gadron and stared at the dragon who had just pushed it's head into Gadron's hand.

" Put your hand on his nose."

Tarn breathed in and stretched out a hand, his fingers met the purple scales and he expired loudly. Gadron pulled back and let the boy meet his dragon, after a minute he spoke. " Name him."

" How do you know it's a him ? "

" He has a line of slightly darker scales going from his brow down to his nostrils. Now name him."

Tarn thought a while. " Xalan..." He said softly before turning to the crowd. " His name is Xalan ! " The crowd cheered to Gadron's great surprise, he didn't think they'd accept the fact that dragons can be friends so easily.

" Well done ! Now walk around the arena." Tarn circled along the bars of the arena and Xalanth followed. Tarn laughed as the dragon nudged his legs as he walked, nearly making him trip every time. The crowd slowly started to disperse, now that the interesting part was over. Gadron turned around to see Eluf walk into the pit flanked by Galzra.

" Hey."

" Hey."

" So you trained a skrill ? "

" Yeah, Tarn nearly got zapped in the process but we survived."

" They seem to be getting along quite well." Eluf said as he gestured to the little boy and his skrill, playing a game which consisted of him trying to stay on his feet as the skrill attempted to knock him over by nudging him with his head. The boy giggled every time the dragon nudged him, and whenever he was about to loose balance the skrill would shoot his head under the lad as support. Gadron smiled under his mask as he watched the pair play, the sight was heart-warming. Eluf drew him out of his trance, but with good reason.

" When are we going to learn to fly together ? " Eluf gestured at Galzra.

" Soon enough, when I'll have some saddles and harnesses for you."

" No it's just that...I think Gal' has been on the ground for too long, and she doesn't seem to want to go flying without me."

" Really ? "

" Yeah, she keeps gesturing for me to get on her back. But I won't do it until I know how to, it could go wrong otherwise."

" You're right to be cautious, but we need to get them in the air soon. A dragon grounded for too long will become very irritable and eventually go mad. I'll start work on the equipment today."

" And what do we do in the meantime ? " Eluf yelled after Gadron who was now walking out of the pit.

" Have fun ! Introduce the dragons to each other, play, bond ! I don't know they're your dragons ! "

Gadron left with a smile on his face, although hidden by the mask. He went to the tannery, bought some leather with his money, then went to the forge and rented it's use to the old blacksmith for four hours. He worked on a saddle for each dragon, a standard harness for each soon-to-be rider and a pair of simple masks. The old, grey bearded blacksmith was quite the chatterbox. The pair easily engaged in friendly conversation, which was a nice change from the usual awkward ones he had with anybody else. The smithy had inquired about the apparel Gadron wore, he had explained that he had made the armour of leather sheets, acting as a better protection against slicing :

" Imagine trying to hit a wooden plank with an axe, you'd most likely slice through it right ? "

" Aye, axes tend to do that." Mocked the old man sarcastically.

" Ok, but now imagine having to slice a book in half with an axe...It's a little trickier isn't it ? "

" Very clever, you've got some brains lad, I'll give you that ! "

The boy chuckled and resumed his work on the harness. They were very simple, much like his first one, simple leather straps that crossed across the torso and back. The saddles were a little trickier, they had to be made for the shape of the specific dragon. Meaning Gadron had to head back for the arena and interrupt a playing and fish feeding to get measurements. But when he was finally finished, the sun was starting to set and he left the equipment at the forge. He said goodbye to the blacksmith ( Whose name was Ingolf )and walked out of Manarfell to the clearing to join Toothless.

Gadron was surprised to see that on his way out of the city people nodded and waved as he walked down the main road. They were waves of acknowledgement and nods of respect, simple, but meant all the world to Gadron.

The city was slanted, a steep main street acted as a central spine to the network of smaller streets. Even though most of the houses were accessed by stairs instead of actual streets because of the extreme inclination. Gadron was walking down said main street towards the city gates, but passed the group of teenagers and children that had sit at the table near his in the main hall. They were chattering noisily but one of them noticed the masked stranger making his way down the street.

" Hey dragon trainer ! Over here ! "

Gadron stopped and turned to face the group that made it's way to him.

" The name's Gadron by the way " Said the trainer, a tad irritated.

" Sorry." Answered the boy who had called him.

" I saw you tame that skrill ! Tarn was gonna be toast if you hadn't walked between him and the dragon ! " Said a younger boy, who was obviously over-excited.

" Yeah, why did you get Tarn to befriend the dragon anyway ? " Drawled a girl with long blonde hair.

" Yeah he's small and weak." Patronized a younger girl.

" Not to mention weird. " Said another.

" He doesn't do anything around here !"

" So why him ? " Concluded the boy who had called him out earlier.

Gadron drew a breath and composed his answer in his mind. " You know I used to be like him." His voice was tinged by a spot of sadness. " Imagine _me_ , in a village of _Vikings_ ! " He gestured down at his thin body. " I couldn't swing an axe or a sword, they called me ' Useless '. I used to lock myself away and come up with crazy inventions all day long. Turns out I was the first Viking to befriend and ride a dragon. I look at Tarn and I don't see ' Tarn the _pipsqueak ',_ I see potential. Now if you'll excuse me I want to go join my dragon that I haven't seen all day. " And without adding anything more he turned and resumed his walk down to the gates, leaving the chuckling and snorting kids behind. He smiled behind his mask, he was glad for Tarn. Because once he'll start flying with that skrill his title will go from ' Pipsqueak ' to ' Dragon Rider '.

When Gadron finally reached the clearing, Toothless assaulted him with a cannonade of licks which ruined Gadron's mood yet lifted it at the same time. They talked ( Or rather he talked and the dragon answered with yaps, barks, crooning and nodding. ) and cooked some fish over a fire before going to sleep, Gadron wrapped between Toothless's paws and his wings wrapped above those. They slept peacefully to the drumbeat of the dragon's heart, almost as primal as it was powerful. All was well.

* * *

Gadron woke up suddenly, he felt Toothless's embrace suddenly disappear, the dragon had immediately leapt into a tree, away from the morning light. Gadron promptly got to his feet drew his crossbow, deployed it, pulled his mask down over his face and hurried behind a tree. He held his breath. Soon enough he heard a little voice call from behind the tree.

" Gadron ? You there ?"

The teenager exhaled in relief before stepping out from behind the tree. " It's you."

" Of course it's me ! Why were you hiding ? " Inquired Tarn, who now stood flanked by Xalan.

" Old habits die hard I guess..." He sighed as he scratched the back of his head. He put his weapon away and called Toothless down.

" Oh wow ! I hadn't seen him there."

" Yeah...We got used to having to wake up discovered by someone...And half a year on the run makes you grow habits that are hard to shake off."

" Huh...Anyway, I was thinking we could start dragon riding today."

" We need the equipment though, I left it in the forge..."

" Eluf and Gal' have gone and get it..."

" Good, do you know any pasture or field we could use ? "

" Yeah, there's a small plain that way !" He pointed west. " We call it 'green giant's tongue' because it's five times as long as it is wide, and it looks like a tongue."

They met Eluf and Galzra in the plain, he had gotten both the bags that contained the saddles, harnesses and flight masks. He helped them equip the dragons, but let them figure out the harnesses by themselves. When he handed them the flight masks they looked puzzled. The masks looked identical to Gadron's, except they didn't bear any horns, nor were they painted black. They were just plain original wooden colour.

" Why do we need those ? " Said Tarn.

" Yeah I thought you only wear yours cause you feel attached to it."

Gadron shook his head. " Put them on, you'll thank me when you realize that if you don't wear them, your face will be punched inside-out by the wind and your eyes burnt by the sun. And be thankful I'm warning you, I learnt the hard way...Be also thankful that it's warmer here, on Berk, I used to wear a scarf to avoid the icy wind from blowing down my collar. One time, during a battle against a rogue Roman legion I lost it mid-flight and had a _horrible_ frostbite wound on my chest for the next two weeks...It was terrible, the skin was peeling and everything...Whatever ! You don't wanna know ! "

Tarn stared at him wide-eyed." You fought Romans ?! "

" Yeah, It's a long story...Now get on your dragons ! We have some flying to do ! " All three got on their dragons. Gadron flung himself swiftly and naturally on Toothless's back while the other two struggled and stumbled to get on while their dragons were laughing their horns off. They eventually got on and turned to Gadron.

" Okay. Here are a couple of tips : Never take your mask off. Stick to the saddle as much as possible or you'll cause to much drag, this will not only yank you off the saddle but also throw off your dragon's flying. And lastly, the force of the turns will crush the breath out of your lungs, so don't fill them up to maximum and time your breaths. Are you ready ? "

The pair nodded, obviously nervous.

" Masks on ! " Yelled Gadron as they lined up with the long grass strip. They were in a triangle formation with Gadron in the lead. " Let's go ! "

They took off, a perfect formation. They flew straight and the black pair slowed down to fly slightly behind the other two so he could see them, making an inverted 'V' formation.

" BANK RIGHT ! " He shouted over the high winds.

Tarn, who was gripping his saddle furiously as if his life depended on it, nudged the dragon slightly in the ribs with his foot. The more he pressed down, the more the dragon understood they had to bank harder. The dragon barely felt the boy's weak nudge, but he felt it enough to understand. Eluf, had a similar system with Galzra, only he tapped against her neck to make her understand.

The formation flew right, and right again making a full circle. They climbed, slowly, taking it easy. They reached the cloud level even though there were barely any clouds. Gadron and Toothless showed off by performing an aileron-flip over the newbies.

" SHOW-OFF ! " Bellowed Eluf over the din of the wind. Gadron laughed and dived down towards the the green grass strip, the other two pairs followed, both the new riders were yelling their guts out as they picked up speed. Toothless and the teen landed gracefully, hopping to a stop. Whereas the other two pairs flapped clumsily to the ground to lose speed. The dragons, Galzra and Xalan obviously wren't used to the weight of their riders yet. They will be soon soon enough. They landed and lifted the masks from their faces.

" Wow ! " Said Tarn, his mind still grinding gears to process the indescribable feeling of flight.

" That was..." Eluf was at a loss for words.

" The looks on your faces are priceless " Laughed Gadron, cracking up. Both the newbies were totally flabbergasted, but after a couple of minutes they were back in the air again. They were already addicted to the flying and they felt like they couldn't live the rest of their lives with their feet constantly on the ground. They were flying for nearly an hour now and Gadron got an idea. They flew up, as high as they could still breathe without passing out.

" UNHOOK YOURSELVES FROM THE SADDLE ! " Yelled Gadron.

" WHAT ?! " Cried the others in shocked unison.

" YOU HEARD ME ! THIS IS A TRUST EXERCISE ! "

They complied, but still stuck to the saddles like glue. Gadron chuckled before shouting " THROW YOURSELVES OFF ! " The pair stared at him, he could only imagine their faces under the masks.

" TRUST YOUR DRAGON ! "

The pair let go of the saddles, and even though the dragons had been expecting something to happen, they didn't expect _that_. They both howled and squawked in terror for their riders and fell after them. Gadron jumped off to, but he and Toothless kept falling alongside each other, limbs perfectly tucked alongside the body. Meanwhile, the others had been caught by their respective dragons and stared incredulously at the two black shapes speeding to the ground.

 _Toothless can't catch Gadron he has a prosthetic !_ Worried Tarn, he was now terrorized at the though of the pair hitting the ground. But to his great surprise, Gadron directed himself closer to the dragon, attached himself onto the saddle and Toothless flared his wings at the last possible moment. A second later and they would have been spread out over the plain like raspberry jam over toast. When the dragons finally reached the ground with their riders hanging from their paws, they dropped of their humans before furiously assaulting them with concerned licks and worried croons of love. Gadron just stood there, flanked by Toothless. Both of them laughing as they witnessed the poor humans trying to escape the violent attack of affection the dragons made them endure.

* * *

All six of them had a wonderful fish based dinner over a fire. The problem was little Tarn spent a while recovering from the high altitude and lack of oxygen he had endured. His frail frame made him vulnerable, and he was sick and vomiting for the next half hour after the flight. When he finally recovered, he got something to eat before inviting Gadron over to his home. Gadron accepted to visit but refused to stay the night. He wasn't sure he'd be able to cope with Tarn's 'family' or sleep in a bed. When they entered, it was a generic house. Average sized with two floors...The usual. But when Tarn led Gadron upstairs to his room, he opened the door and led the teen in, his jaw dropped.

The room was covered in papers, on the floor, the walls, the door and even under the rug. Each of them with scribbles of diagrams, calculations, formulas. Tarn was a genius. He excitedly picked up two metal balls from his desk and held them out to Gadron, who took one in each hand. They were identical, but one was obviously full and the other one not, making one of them considerably heavier.

" If you were to drop them at the same time, which one would hit the floor first ? " Inquired the little boy. He was over-excited, he was jumping around and causing his little plat/braid fly around uncontrollably. Gadron understood, if he had someone to show his inventions to when he was still on...That island he used to live on... he would be over-excited to .

" The heavier one of course."

" Wrong ! " He said, dancing around with a wide smile on his face. " Try it ! "

Gadron dropped the balls and they both hit the floor at the same time, one of them with a loud _clunk_ that shook the house. Gadron was confused, logic dictates that the heavier one should hit the floor first. Why wasn't this happening ?

" It's because gravity spends more time to set the heavier ball into motion, but the lighter is slowed by air. So in the end, they land at the same time because one starts faster but the other catches up with a greater maximum velocity."

Gadron was speechless, it made sense. Why had it never occurred to him ? Why had he never asked himself the question ?

" Also did you know that the world is round ? " He mentioned, his voice full of bliss. He pointed at the wall where three different ways of proving his last statement lay pinned to the wall illustrated by over a dozen papers.

Gadron's mind was blown. This, this was incredible. All the things that had been going on in Tarn's mind, no one recognised. He was slowly rotating on his heels, taking in all the wonders around him. He saw papers depicting the decomposition of light through a prism, another explaining something called 'the water cycle', concave and convex lens that could be used for zooming in or out. The list went on...

" Wow..." Gadron was at a loss for words. This kid knew more about the world they lived in than anyone he ever met. " This is..."

"...The product of boredom and isolation. " Finished Tarn, his voice heavy with sadness.

" No, this is...This is _genius_ ! People need to know about this ! "

" They never listen..." He shook his head.

Silence dominated the room for a while then Gadron got an idea." But they'll read. I saw you have a library in Manarfell."

" The Room of Scrolls...Yeah."

" We'll they're gonna need to add a second room when were done."

" What do you mean ? "

" I'll tell you what, I'll help you write the books to document all of this...And you can teach me in the process, I want to know all...This ! "

" All this isn't worth spending time writing it down in books, it'd take months ! "

" But you know it is ! Knowledge is power ! As much for dragons than anything else. It'll be long a process... But we'll take our time. We'll have your name at the end of the books, and people will recognise you for who you really are : A great and brilliant mind in a little body."

" Thanks..." Tarn was touched, he was never complimented. No one ever recognised any values in him, ever. Gadron knew how that felt. "...But if we document all my knowledge, you have to do the same for you. We make a book each dragon species, and another book on general taming, and another for riding...Deal ? "

" Sure."

They shook hands, both knowing that they were in for a lot of writing. It will take a long time. But it will be worth it.


	14. Chapter 13 : Hiccup ?

**One hundred followers ! Thank you so much !**

 **Now on with the story !**

* * *

About one and a half years have passed since you last heard of our beloved dragon-riding-masked teen. A lot has happened and it is my duty to convey this story on to you. But for the sake of an enjoyable but mostly readable story, I will only recollect in detail the events of importance.

First of all, what Gadron believes to be his greatest accomplishment other than meeting Toothless : He was called before the council of Manarfell for his expertise, to help them write the series of laws and regulations concerning dragons. Gadron had debated their intelligence and their strength and managed to convince the entire council that they should be treated as equal. So now, when a dragon is bonded with a citizen of Manarfell, it receives the title of ' Dragon of Manarfell ' and the last name of his human partner, making him/her officially part of the family. The dragons are as free as humans but must labour for their stay in the dragon stables and the fish they are fed with, unless the human partner can provide for both the needs ( Although one must have full pockets to afford all the fish ). If a dragon causes damage, it is considered responsible and not the human partner, for it is intelligent enough to take responsibility for it's actions. It will then have to work extra hours every day until it has compensated for the value of the damage. The dragons seemed happy with their lifestyle and work, and most of Manarfell seemed to embrace the creatures and the help they provided. All was well on that aspect.

Gadron was asked to tame five more dragons : two gronkles, two nadders and a monstrous nightmare. They all found human partners although only two pairs took on flying together as the other humans didn't embrace becoming riders. Then again, not everyone is meant for flying and the others were perfectly happy working and enjoying each other's company without the thrill of flight.

A remarkable event was the first time Gadron landed with Toothless in Manarfell, they had touched down on the city plaza and everyone present stared in awe as the thin, masked boy stepped off the back of the ' Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself.', they had later questioned him during the communal supper how he had come to befriend the dragon and why he had a artificial tail-fin. He had told his tale to the two dozen or so people that swarmed and crowded around the table he was sitting at and they all listened in flabbergasted silence. The tale was soon documented by an inspired writer and conserved in the Room of Scrolls which was quickly filling up.

Another wonderful event was the fact that the council offered citizenship to Gadron, who accepted with tears in his eyes ( although hidden by the mask ). To him, it was the official integration in his new home. He was happy here. The council also offered the boy a small abandoned warehouse/barn in the centre of town that he could call his own. He cleared it up and bought some furniture : A bed, two chests, a table, some chairs, a cupboard and a stove. It wasn't much but it was home. Best of all, the barn was... well...A barn, meaning that Toothless could run around without causing damage and he could and jump around and perch in the rafters. The law obliged him to inscribe a family motto above the entrance, so Gadron and Toothless agreed that the Finred household should have a good, meaningful motto on an iron plaque on the door. They settled for :

 _For Dragons and Men_.

Both Gadron and Tarn worked between one and two hours a day on their books, finishing five in the one and half years. All of them were stored in the room of scrolls which a lot more people started visiting. Tarn was recognised for his genius by all the readers and often received questions from some who needed clarification on a certain phenomena. Gadron was also assaulted by questions on the dragons and their capabilities and how to approach them. Both of them had acquired a reasonable standing amongst the people of Manarfell.

Unfortunately not all events were joyful. One day, the council had bought a changewing off Viking traders ( As they always did ) to be trained. Gadron had found himself in the arena with the crazy murderous beast that had obviously something wrong with it's mind and was nowhere near trainable. It's unstable mental state caused it to attack Gadron, who in the fight was burnt by a spray of acid. The teen was forced to shoot a bolt through the dragon's eye killing it instantly. The burn he suffered, ran from the upper right side of his neck down to his shoulder, he had lain unconscious for two days after fainting in the arena. Those two days were torture for Tarn and Toothless, who didn't eat anything for the entire time his rider lay unconscious in the medical centre. When he eventually woke up, he was appalled at the scar he now bore, and although his morale eventually returned to normal, he now always either wore a scarf, or the collar of his flight suit was up to cover the mark. He was extremely uncomfortable when talking about the incident and no one ever mentioned it again after he lost his temper against the group of teens and children that usually stuck together. Gadron now had the habit of pulling up and readjusting his leather collar every five minutes. It had become a mechanical movement, he did it without thinking but he did it nevertheless.

But life went on, and Gadron turned seventeen. He had long since forgotten his original birth date and he settled with the date he received citizenship to Manarfell. The celebration was small, but no less wonderful. Gadron, Toothless, Tarn, Eluf, Galzra and Xalan spent the night in Gadron's home drinking mead and singing songs until sunrise. And by then, Gadron was suffering the consequences of a whole night's worth of mead drinking when he had never touched a drop of alcohol in his whole life. He swore that day, that he would never, ever touch alcohol ever again.

Manarfell was not a conquering city, it's ideology revolved around a reserved peace and prosperity of the city and it's people. So when the council demanded Gadron to compose a mounted patrol squad and become the captain of said squad, Gadron accepted with honour. He knew Manarfell was not warmongering by nature and simply armed itself for the sake of defence and dissuasion. This concept he totally approved of. The squad was composed of Gadron himself, Tarn who wielded no weapons, Eluf who was a decent swordsman but also bore a shield, Alexia who rode the nadder and Runck who was a powerful axe wielder who rode another monstrous nightmare. Runck was twenty-five, he was big and powerful, he could cut a pine down in no more than five swings of his axe and could probably catch it with his bare hands when it fell. Alexia, was about twenty-eight and never spoke, she wielded two swords and a deadly array of throwing knives, she was very acrobatic and never missed. Gadron was pretty sure that Eluf had a fancy for her but he kept his mouth shut for the greater good.

Together, the squad would patrol twice a day in two hour sessions. The citizens of Manarfell felt that nothing could ever harm them if the dragons where in the air. And they were right. Many pirates found their ships blasted to smithereens if they approached the city, Tarn's skrill was extremely deadly against ships and boats. The lightning found it's way to anything metal, setting fire to wood and zapping pirates who held onto swords and other metal objects. One fly-by of the purple dragon could stun or sometimes kill anything on the deck that stood near metal. Together, they formed a deadly team, each rider wore a leather armour and a mask ( No armour or mask matched the beauty and effectiveness of Gadron's though. ) that was coloured to match the dragon ( The mask not the armour. ).

An important step in this story must not be forgotten : One evening, Gadron was reading a book he had borrowed from the Room of Scrolls and scratching Toothless behind the ear, when he heard a little series of knocks on the door to his barn. He got up and opened the door only to find Tarn standing there. With a red right cheek, looking absolutely miserable and carrying two heavy bags of his belongings. Gadron let him in, offered food and drink as Tarn explained the fight he had gotten into with his cousin who used his research papers as fire-starter for the umpteenth time. He had argued furiously with the older boy until his uncle came along and defended his cousin by striking Tarn across the face. At that point Tarn snapped and gathered all his belongings and stomped angrily over to Gadron's home. The teenager obviously accepted his best friend into his home, and they lived together in the barn since that day. Toothless was thrilled to have the skrill live with them, as both the dragons got on quite well. One could often look up when in the barn and see a black figure flanked by a purple one look down to you from the rafters.

* * *

It was a sad day when the peace was broken. One day a messenger ship from the Teaknaa' ( A strong alliance of villages far down south of Manarfell ) arrived at Manarfell's docks. They came with the demand of a tribute, and the threat of destroying Manarfell if the important tribute wasn't delivered by the end of the month. The messengers were sent back and the council called for all the senior officers of the guard as well as the mounted squad. Gadron now stood at the tip of the triangle formation of dragon riders. The formation was next to the square of city guard officers, who saluted before the council. The dragons riders stood as straight as a mast with each hand behind their backs and each flanked by their respective dragon. All of them had their masks hanging behind their heads, all but Gadron, who was known to always be wearing his mask whenever he could.

The council president, Lady Elloquan. Started by explaining the situation, before unfolding the council's plan. The plan consisted of sending five council members of each age group to the leading village of the Teaknaa' to dissuade and intimidate their opponents from declaring war. Manarfell could easily pay the tribute, but the city wouldn't show weakness. Yet the council was unwilling to start a war that they would obviously win, but would cause suffering to the people in the process. The five council members would be escorted by a guard of honour composed of the veteran city guards, the elite regiment and the mounted squad. Led by Commander Sohonan, Captain Osmund and Captain Finred. They were given two days to prepare and were dismissed. Gadron led his squad to ' Green Giant's Tongue ' where they generally trained and they sat down to discuss what had happened as well as what was to happen.

" Talk about a show of force ! Twenty of Manarfell's best warriors and five dragons..." Commented Eluf.

" Yeah, imagine their faces when a skrill, two nightmares, a nadder and a _night fury_ land in their village." Said Runck with a his deep, hoarse voice. They all burst out laughing. The dragons beamed with pride.

" No but seriously though..." Said Gadron, barely recovering from his fit of laughter. " Aldon ( Man with the raspy voice ) asked me to tell you that we should look formal and disciplined."

" What do ya' mean we have to call you 'sir' and stuff ? " Asked Runck.

" Yeah apparently..."

" SIR YES SIR ! " Saluted Eluf jokingly.

" How long will it take us to get there ? " Asked Runck. Tarn started did a mental calculation in his mind. " About ten days I think...No wait ! Eleven days, because there'll be the southern ' Whisperer's Current ' against us."

" Eleven days ?! " Eluf was scandalized, he never liked boats, and now he was going to have to spend eleven days on one. Alexia who hadn't said anything ( She never does.) was sharpening one of her swords and grunted in approval of Eluf's statement. Apparently she didn't like boats either.

" Don't worry, time will fly nearly as fast as Toothless." Reassured Gadron.

" Actually Xalan climbs faster." Corrected Tarn.

" That's because of his greater wingspan, he can't dive nearly as fast and h-..."

Alexia loudly cleared her throat meaning ' Knock it off guys ! '. Runck rolled his eyes. The dragons left the riders to talk and sauntered off to play some sort of game of tag in the plain.

" Seriously though..." Said Gadron, his voice had grown serious. " We're gonna have to tread carefully and behave while we're there."

" Yeah, don't want start a war now do we ? " Said Eluf.

Runck put a hand on his heart. " I solemnly pledge to leave some mead every night for the villagers during my stay." He said jokingly.

" It kinda makes me nervous...Things could go wrong really quick, if it does. Then we'll be outnumbered ten to one." Uttered Tarn, worried.

" Don't worry kid, things get hairy we just burn their village to the ground. It'll be fine ! " Answered Runck.

" Yeah but then we start a war, and you have to fight over a dozen of Teaknaa' villages at once." Said Gadron.

" We'll just be extra careful." Said Eluf.

" Anyway, what do we need ? " Asked Gadron.

" Fish." Said Tarn.

" Medical supplies." Added Eluf.

" Extra riding gear and saddle just in case..." Concluded Runck.

" Good, I want you to ask the expedition manager to add those to the inventory when we head back." He was answered only by silence. " Well someone's gotta do it ! "

 _Great...We're gonna have to draw straws...AGAIN._

* * *

The trip went as planned, the squad took turns to fly high above the ships as sentry. They could spot things kilometres away from that high. Otherwise they flew for pleasure and slept on the boats. When they were finally nearing their destination, everyone was nervous. No one showed it, but everyone knew that everyone was worried about how the events of the next few days should unfold.

The ships floated gracefully into the harbour. The harbour was massive, and filled with war ships. The Manarians ( People from Manarfell ) stared with hate at the mighty war machines that stood mounted on the boats, the same machines that threatened their people. Many soldiers of the expedition had families, and every single one of them where ready to give their lives a thousand times over if it meant that Manarfell would be safe for even a second longer.

The boats were moored to the docks and the counsellors left them along with ten men to meet the opposing leader, who stood flanked by over a hundred warriors clad in iron and armed with swords and spears.

" Welcome to Ingradad ! I am Losfown Tiboon, Leader of the Teaknaa' Alliance..." The man was tall, muscular. And wore a golden armour decorated with ivory patterns. His tanned olive skin matched his dark eyes. He had long dark hair that ran down in three braids, meaning he had three sons.

" We know who you are Losfown, I am Lady Elloquan Sanri, presiding council member of Manarfell." The older woman was much shorter, but held her head high and proud.

" I trust you bring the tribute."

" No, we bring a deal."

" Good...I like deals..."

" I hope you will let us disembark our guard of honour ? " Asked Aldon, with a heavy mark of defiance in his raspy voice. One of Losfown's three sons, the eldest, took the opportunity to make his mark. He wanted to prove to his father he was worthy of leading a war-band, even though he was merely eighteen.

" HA ! Of course...Your peasants with swords can set up camp and rest on that hill over there. I hope they'll make it to the top." Chuckles and mocking laughter rippled through the crowd of brutish soldiers.

" I'm sure they will." Said Aldon smiling. He was looking forward to seeing the look on that boy's face when he saw the guard of honour. The boy was puzzled by the expressions the counsellors and their escort wore, they seemed amused, as if they were in total control. The boy turned his attention to ships as the Manarian soldiers disembarked.

The Ingradadian warriors parted to let the columns of soldiers walk by. The shiny steel armour clanking formed a drumbeat as they marched. Then came the dragons. The brute's jaws hit the ground as the mounted squad made their way before them. The riders walked proud, their faces hidden by their painted masks. The dragons walked besides them, glaring daggers and striking fear into every man's heart. Gadron and Toothless walked in front, even this far south the men had heard of a night fury and it's destructive powers, and their terrorized yet awed expression proved it .

The regiment made it's way to the hill that overlooked the village and started setting up camp. Tents were assembled and fires made. The village was big, but not as big as Manarfell. The houses were of a strange architecture, made of clay and wood, their shape were that of squares and rectangles that stacked on each other. The colour was a pale brown and beige, due to the clay.

The negotiations started, and went on for hours. The sun was slowly setting and the mounted squad had been waiting in their camp section for orders. Eventually, a Manarian veteran came up to the team and said that Captain Finred was expected at the counsellors tent. Gadron left and made his way through the noisy camp to the big tent in the centre. Inside, he found Counsellor Albion, Commander Sohonan and Captain Osmund sitting around a table waiting for him. He sat down with them and Albion started.

" Now, the negotiations were heated today. Some threats went off, but war isn't upon us yet." The hoarse and raspy voice drowned out the din of the camp outside." No doubt will Teaknaa' officers be sent to 'socialize', this is after all, supposed to be a diplomatic meeting."

" How do expect us to act ? " Asked Sohonan, who was tapping his fingers against the table.

" You most not be hostile, but remember, these people have demanded a tribute and are threatening our people...Be wary. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd slit our throats in our sleep."

" So extra guards at night ? "

" Preferably. Finred ? "

" Yes sir ?" Said Finred.

" Don't let them near the dragons."

" Was never planning to sir."

" I know you weren't, just making sure...Very well, try to get some sleep. The negotiations will resume tomorrow, hopefully things will cool off." They all got up and both captains and the commander left the tent.

" What a mess..." Sighed Sohonan as they stepped out into the dusk.

" You don't say." Answered Osmund.

" The look on their faces when they saw the dragons though..."

" Priceless..." They all chuckled.

" I'm glad you're on our side..." Said Sohonan jokingly " ...If were them I'd be really concerned at being up against a dragon rider and trainer. "

" Well, with a bit off luck we won't have to fight at all..." Uttered Gadron.

" Yeah, luck...Anyway...See you tomorrow."

They parted ways and Gadron walked back to the camp fire he had left his friends around. He got there and found them how he left them, talking laughing and petting dragons. They stayed up for a bit before sleeping, not under a tent, but under the wings of their dragons.

The next day started early. They had breakfast and went for a formation practise flight. Then they were required to haul supplies from the ships to the camps, which with the help of dragons, only took half an hour. Then they parted ways each doing what they had to do. Gadron had told them to stick with their dragons at all times, they wanted to avoid trouble. Gadron wandered through the village, flanked by an overprotective Toothless who growled at anything that moved. Then they went for a short flight and Gadron skydived again, he never got tired of it. He eventually found himself in a field a hundred meters away from the camp with the rest of the squad as they half-spared, half-rested. They talked as they worked, Gadron was tuning his adjustable crossbow sights by repeatedly shooting a tree in the same spot over and over again. Toothless and the other dragons were not far off, fishing in a little stream.

their peaceful activities were interrupted by the arrival of a group of teenagers led by a very muscular eighteen year old boy. All the teenagers were obviously destined to be warriors judging by their attire and and weaponry.

" Hello there dragon riders ! "

" Whad'you want ? " Asked Runck, sounding like he was about hurl his axe into the young man's head. Alexia hissed a warning at Runck and glared back at the group.

" Oh nothing, just came to say hello...And see what you're doing."

" We were having having a good time..." Said Gadron before shooting the tree. " ...Till you came along." he muttered these last words under his breath. He turned to the leader of the group. " Who are you again ? "

" Artenos Tiboon, heir to Ingradad."

 _Great an heir with an ego the size of the village..._

" Pleasure..." Gadron's voice was dipped in heavy sarcasm. He turned and went to retrieve the bolt he had shot a minute ago.

" You look a little young for a soldier..." Said someone from the group, pointing at Tarn.

The boy glared back. " At least I can count to ten." His voice was despising and mocking, not a tone one would often hear from that particular boy. Eluf chuckled.

" Now, now...Let's not let anything get _too_ heated shall we ? " Said Gadron, he didn't want a fight to break out, if they slaughtered these teens there would definitely be a war.

" You didn't tell me your name."

" Captain Gadron Finred."

" Interesting...What makes someone so young deserve the title of captain ? " Artenos's was very patronizing. Gadron felt something explode inside him as he heard those words. He had heard that tone all too often in his life and he was sick of it.

" Because I trained all the dragons of Manarfell single handedly and was the first and only to ever ride a night fury. " That shut him up all right. The group literally had nothing left to answer. Gadron swung back to the spot where he was shooting at the tree, he pulled the weapon to his face and concentrated. His focus was shattered to the sound of a single word, spoken by a soft female voice of a girl merely a year older than him.

" Hiccup ? "

Gadron's heart skipped a beat and he froze. The tips of his fingers grew cold, his thoughts were caught in a blizzard. He slowly lowered the crossbow, he let the weapon hang limply in his left hand as he pulled up the collar of his suit to cover his burn. He sighed a shaky sigh.

" Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time...A long, long, time..."

* * *

 **AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnd It's another cliffhanger ! I'm sorry I'm doing this to you...But what kind of a cruel author would I be if I didn't kill off my main characters and finish chapters on cliffhangers ?**

 **Whoops ! Said to much already...**

 **Anyway ! See you in two days.**

 **Rant over.**


	15. Chapter 14 : Bolt Action

**A very violent chapter ! Without spoiling anything things get hairy and people get hurt...So beware if you're a sensitive person. You can't say I didn't warn you.**

 **Now on with the story !**

 **Rant over.**

* * *

He turned around, slowly. He scanned the crowd of Teaknaa' teenagers/young adults and his eyes fell on the girl. His mind was flooded with confused and unpleasant thoughts.

" You..." His voice was filled with anger. He couldn't remember her name, it had been pushed to the back of his mind long ago, along with all the other unpleasant things he wanted to forget.

" So you you left."

" Why do you care ? "

" You know I like to know things..."

" Since when did the High Sea Wanderers become Teaknaa' ? "

At this point anyone else listening to the heated exchange was nothing but confused, they all grasped the fact that they had met before and that they definitely didn't like each other. The young heir and leader of the group was irritated at not understanding a single thing of the conversation and decided to intervene.

" Eira, do you know him ? " But she held up a hand to his face to silence him, she had a more important exchange going on.

" We like to side with those who win." She said to Gadron.

" That's where you're wrong...If you want to win, you sided with the wrong people."

" I know who you are Hiccup ! " She warned threateningly, she was hoping to get a grip on him, to hit him where it hurts.

" No you don't...Hiccup died with his name long ago in a forge while making a pair of dented wheels..."

At that moment he spotted a man across the field behind the group. The man was obviously a Manarian. An Elite guard judging by his dark red cape, he was waving his sword above his head and his fist was clasped on his chest. Gadron understood. He whistled a long strident call from behind his mask and seconds later the dragons were each by their respective riders. The Teaknaa' had taken a step back and glanced warily at the dragons and their riders.

Gadron patted Toothless on the head before turning to Eira." As much as I'd like to talk, duty calls..." He flung himself on Toothless's back and looked back to the squad. " Riders saddle up ! ".

That sentence was the beginning of so many logistic and deployment trainings, and the entire squad was mounted in the blink of an eye.

" Masks on ! "

Each of them (Other than Gadron) drew their masks over their faces in a single synchronised movement. The Teaknaa' had stepped back again and started clinging to still sheathed sword handles. Gadron raised his fist in the air, and brought it down. The dragons and their riders shot up as soon as the teenager's hand dropped. They climbed high, but below the cloud level. They saw the village below. It seemed that the negotiations hadn't gone that smoothly after all. The counsellors were surrounded by a protective ring of Manarian Veteran Guards, their effective shield wall prevented any Teaknaa' warriors to break the tight formation. The ring was slowly making it's way to the docks, where the ships lay ready for an escape. Meanwhile the Elite guard were in a melee fight further off, preventing the Teaknaa' from reaching the Manarian ships.

" RUNCK ! ELUF ! BURN THEIR SHIPS ! " Gadron pointed at the Teaknaa' frigates, they wouldn't want to be chased down if they got the counsellors out of here and at sea. The two riders nodded and directed their nightmares towards the ships. The rest of the squad dived. Toothless let out his terrifying signature diving scream that he produced by clasping his ears against his skull, acting like a whistle. A purple plasma bolt exploded in the crowd of Teaknaa' who surrounded the small Manarian shield formation. Tarn and Xalan let out their lightning. Dozens of warriors hit the floor, some dead, some still conscious, eyes wide open and convulsing uncontrollably.

Tarn and his dragon was pulling out of their dive, they were flying barely five meters off the ground. Suddenly Tarn felt a flash of pain in his right shoulder. He was yanked back, the security lead snapped, and for a moment...Nothing, just the sensation of falling. Then the sudden stop, he met the side of a house. He lost vision for a second then regained it, the searing pain in his shoulder reminding him that he was still alive.

Gadron saw Tarn get hit. He saw him fall.

" NOOOOO ! "

The black pair dived and landed by the boy. He was sitting up against the wall he had flown into, his left hand gripped the arrow that was lodged in his shoulder. He coughed, blood dripped down his neck from behind the mask.

" TARN ! "

The battle raged around them, Toothless shot purple death into enemies, melding them into cooked, burnt flesh and bones. But Gadron took no notice, he was at Tarn's side, his eyes fogged by tears.

" I'm gonna get you outta here ! Ok ? "

Tarn whimpered and nodded. Gadron got up and turned around only to find Teaknaa' warriors slowly closing in on them. They were creeping slowly forwards, not ready to charge the night-fury that stood at the boy's side. This was it, Gadron drew his dagger in one hand and his crossbow in the other. They would fight to the bitter end.

Suddenly, nadder spikes flew into five men who hit the ground. Alexia and her dragon landed alongside Toothless and the boy, she somersaulted off her scaly friend and landed in a half crouched position with three knives in each hand. In a lighting gesture, she swung her arms and let go of the knives. Six men hit the ground, the rest charged. Gadron shot a Teaknaa' between the eyes and ducked under a wild sword swing, he responded by jabbing the unbalanced opponent in the throat with his dagger. Blood sprayed on his arm and hand, he looked around to see Toothless pinning a warrior to the ground with his paw before flashing his teeth and biting the victim's throat out. Alexia was twirling around and dancing in the forest of Teaknaa', she leaped from enemy to enemy with nimbleness and grace. She liked to kill efficiently and elegantly, she always executed her opponents with either a clean decapitation or a stab to the heart, she only severed limbs if she needed to weaken her opponent to secure the kill. Xalan flew by spraying thunder over the crowd in his rage, they had hurt his beloved Tarn, he was decimating them : Over twenty died to the hands of his electric attacks.

An arrow missed Gadron's face by a finger. He looked up at the hill and found the archer. Eira was wielding a massive longbow like she was born with it, and was already readying another shot. But Gadron beat her to it and the black metal bolt sailed in an ark before hitting her square in the chest. She was instantly pinned to ground by the force of the shot, she now lay on the grass eyes wide open in terror and agony. She desperately clutched the metal piece but didn't have the force to pull it out. She tried to breath but was rewarded only by pain, the bolt had gone straight through her right lung. She couldn't feel her legs, she couldn't move them, her finger tips grew cold and numb. She watched as the red patch spread on her shirt, she felt weak. Her head fell back on the ground, her dead eyes eyes stared wide open at the clouds as the ground below her soaked up her blood.

Eventually, Gadron leapt on Toothless and flew off while he carried Tarn with his claws. They wouldn't have been able to escape if it weren't for Alexia who covered their take-off. She now flew behind them as they headed for the ships that had already left the docks and were exiting the bay. They landed on the supply and hospital ship and lay Tarn out on the bridge. Gadron knelt by the boy and squeezed his hand desperately. He took off the little boy's mask and set it aside before taking off his own, the kid needed to see a human face...Not a mask.

" Tarn...Stay awake ! Listen to me, you need to stay awake ! Count to a hundred in binary...Just stay conscious."

Tarn nodded weakly and his left hand set it's fingers in motion, he raised and lowered fingers in seemingly random patterns, but to anyone who could count in binary would know better. Alexia was covered in the blood of her victims and was trying to keep Xalan away, if the dragon saw the rider as he was now he might never recover (The dragon that is ). Two healers came over and gave a rag to Tarn so that he could bite on to help cope with the pain. His muffled screamed broke Gadron's heart as they pulled out the arrow, but he kept counting, even when screaming in pain through the rag. They proceeded to bandage him up and set him in a deep sleep with a concoction of herbs. They moved him below deck, along with the other wounded but didn't allow the rest of the squad down. Gadron looked back at Ingradad which was now far away, the burning fleet glowed on the horizon and raised a wall of smoke in the sky.

The next two days were torture as Tarn lay unconscious. Xalan didn't eat, Gadron was having a nervous breakdown every five minutes and and had drawn over thirty sketches in his loss and anger. When Tarn eventually woke up, he had been the first one to talk to him.

* * *

Gadron was sitting by Tarn's bedside, Toothless was curled up at his feet and Xalan was resting his head on the boy's legs, Tarn currently sat up for he was still to weak to walk around. The wood of the boat creaked and and the sound of the sloshing water outside dominated the room.

" I thought I had lost you..." Said Gadron

" Me too."

" How are you feeling ? "

" Like I got shot." Deadpanned the little boy.

" Understandable."

" I got to a hundred ! "

Gadron chuckled in response.

" Gadron ? "

" Yes ? "

" Who is 'Hiccup' ? "

Gadron sighed and stared at the floor, the pair listened to the sounds that filled the room for a while before the teenager answered.

" Hiccup is a little boy who left his home with his scaly brother because he was rejected. He wondered the land aimlessly before he realized he had to die and be replaced by Gadron...Hiccup is a runt and a failure who was a coward and ran away...Thankfully he doesn't exist any more to dirty the honour of his home."

" You changed name..."

" I changed everything I was..."

" Was it a good decision ? "

" The best I ever made, after deciding to come to Manarfell of course."

Silence followed, the two simply enjoyed each other's presence and listened to the sounds of the boat and the sea.

" I recognised the arrow which hit me. It's the same as the ones that were in that girl's quiver, the one you argued with."

" I know, her name was Eira."

" Was ? "

" I gave her a taste of her own medicine...She was the heir to the High Sea Wanderers, a tribe of nomads. They came to visit when I was still living on...on..."

" Don't try to remember."

" I can't"

" Good."

" How long till you can walk ? "

" A week. I'll be doing a lot of writing..."

" I'll join you, I've nothing better to do." Gadron had nearly lost Tarn, now he was willing to spend every ounce of free time with the boy knowing that he could have died.

" Good, where were we ? "

Gadron drew a thick book, two feathers and a pot of ink from the bag that sat on the bedside table. He opened the book and flicked the pages.

" Chapter five : Separation of white light into a spectrum using a prism."

" Yeah I remember now...Let's get started ! "

" Gladly me lord ! " Mocked Gadron.

The pair laughed, even though in hurt the poor boy to do so, it soothed a pain in his mind : The trauma of being shot.

* * *

 **As you might have understood, the biggest wound Tarn will bear is in his mind, not on his shoulder. Thankfully, Gadron is here to act as a bandage with his big brother figure, that and his loving Xalan should cheer the boy up in no time !**

 **Gadron shoots Eira ! Do you think she deserved to survive ? Well, it's too late now ! The High Sea Wanderers are gonna be pretty pissed off when they find the black bolt sticking out of their heir's body, specially her dad...**

 **Anyway I hope you have a wonderful day/night/party/journey/morning/pilgrimage/promotion/birthday/holiday/weekend/whatever-it-is-you're-doing.**

 **Also the next chapter might be a little late because I kinda had a creative block recently and it's become a bit hard to write...But in no more than four days the chapter will be out I promise ! See you then.**

 **Rant over !**


	16. Chapter 15 : Return of the Past

**Sorry for short chapter but we're nearing the end and I don't want to mash everything up into one messy chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoy nevertheless.**

 **Rant over.**

* * *

Tarn eventually recovered from his wounds, it took him up to four months, but the wound closed leaving a very nasty scar. Much like Gadron, the incident not only left a physical wound but also scarred the little boy's mind, causing him to endure nightmares about the event once every other month. He had also taken the habit to subconsciously roll his shoulder without noticing, it had become a clear indicator to whether or not the boy deemed the situation to be uncomfortable or embarrassing. Thankfully the wound did not infringe on his dragon-riding abilities and enabled him to resume his activities with the squad.

Talking of which, all the dragon riders were bombarded with praises and acclamations of their actions on the battle field and the dragons received barrel-loads of fish by the minute. The destruction of the enemy fleet in mere minutes and the air support they provided to friendly ground troops had made itself known. Months passed and war wasn't declared, as far as anyone could tell, the council's plan had succeeded. The entire Teaknaa' league was afraid to face Manarfell's forces and were right to be so (Not to mention Manarfell's allies would have played a big part too if war was declared ).

Unfortunately, Gadron had very little time to dedicate to forging activities. His expertise in dragons had made him the number one reference for anything on the subject. Manarfell's full-time dragon expert had little time too himself, and that time he would rather spend with Toothless and Tarn than hammering away in the forge, as much as he liked forging and inventing.

Pirates and raiders had come to avoid Manarfell, the demise of others deeply discouraged others to try the same, and it seemed that the city was material for legend. But the city closed it's gates to most strangers, they feared change ( Although more open-minded than Vikings ) and the dragons would not be able to live in peace if they were constantly followed about by tourists in their day to day life.

* * *

Fishlegs stood at the bow of the bow of the Viking longboat, the city's white walls stood firmly, the shining towers climbed high and proud. The man admired the impressive architecture and tried to imagine the internal structure of the defences, he wondered how it all stayed up. But he was quickly drawn from his thoughts when he spotted two small black shapes falling out of the clouds. He couldn't exactly identify them but he witnessed the two shapes come together and suddenly expand and pull up before flying out of sight. Could it be a dragon ? Impossible, it'd be tearing the city to shreds by now, not playing in the clouds.

The five longboats were heading full sail to a beach on the other side of the island, each one of them had replaced the traditional dragon figurehead by a giant white dragon tooth. They arrived the next day, early in the morning at the city gates. A small group lead by Stoick the Vast was allowed in and led to the council hall.

Gadron was walking back from a skydiving session with Toothless when he met Albion waiting for him leaning against the door of his barn.

" Finred...I was looking for you." Gadron had finally gotten used to the man's raw and raspy voice. Many stories were told about how Albion got that scar on his throat and how it forever modified his voice. Personally, I don't believe any of them and nor does Gadron.

" Yes sir ? "

" The council needs you to greet some visitors today..."

" Why ?"

" They're a Viking tribe...I trust you recognised their sails while you were up there ? "

" No sir, to be frank my eyes were fixed on the incoming ground." Toothless laughed a throaty laugh.

Albion sighed with exasperation at the disrespectful pile of black scales and signalled to Gadron to follow. Toothless stayed behind in the barn, he was never good at negotiations, especially with Vikings. They entered the council hall where a long table was set up. Lady Elloquan and some other important council members were already seated on one half, Gadron took place on that same half and waited patiently for the visitors to enter the hall.

The double doors swung wide open and in marched Stoick the Vast followed by Gobber Spitelout and some members of his war council. The Manarians rose politely before seating again, poor Gadron completely forgot to stand up when they entered. His heartbeat increased as well as his breathing, his mind crashed and his thoughts were washed down a drain. It took him a while to recover from the horrific sight but he did, he was strong, not weak, not _useless_.

Both parties presented themselves and Gadron was introduced as ' Captain of the mounted squad ' which the Vikings supposed simply to be cavalry. After the presentations ended Lady Elloquan asked what brought them this far south to Manarfell.

"Some years ago, Berk suffered extremely regular attacks from dragon raiding parties." Stoick boomed. " It seemed that they were controlled by a queen of sorts, we named it the Red Death. After it's defeat, we strived to explore and meet other factions. Which brings us here."

Every single Manarian raised an eyebrow, even Gadron from behind his mask. They all knew the story, and although Stoick didn't directly claim the kill for Berk, he somehow seemed to be bragging about it. Albion decided to open the next topic of discussion, as important as it was dangerous.

" Manarfell has a very...Peculiar, way of dealing with dragons. We hope that it will not put a stop to a possible friendship between Berk and Manarfell. I'll let someone more qualified explain." He was about to turn to Gadron, whose heart was racing. When suddenly a blonde girl crashed through the big double doors of the hall yelling :

" DRAGONS ! THE TRAITORS RIDE DRAGONS ! I'VE SEEN THEM ! "

All the Vikings stood in outrage and disbelief yelling ' What ! ', ' They've sold their soul to Loki ! ' or ' The fiends tricked us ! '. The two guards stationed by the door tried to grab the girl saying ' Lady you are not authori-...!' but she elbowed one in the face and had her axe blade to the other one's throat. Gadron stood and drew his crossbow in the blink of an eye before shouting :

" Let him go Astrid ! " He knew both the guards, he had shared jokes and stories in the main hall with them until the moon was high in the sky on many occasions. And she was about to gut them both. The blonde girl in question turned to look at him.

" YOU ! " She let go of the guard and stormed forward, axe raised. " He's the one who took hiccup ! It's the same mask ! He's ' dragon's friend ' ! "

All the Vikings turned to him with murder in their eyes. Stoick most of all.

" You took my son ! "

" You have no proof ! "

" Of course you did ! I'll crush your skull ! "

Gadron was about to retort but he felt a hand grab the side of his mask in an attempt to violently rip it off. Gadron hadn't seen Astrid come up behind him. He turned in a fit of rage and punched her in the throat, she stumbled to the floor trying to breath. He shot a bolt into the wooden floor right next to her head, clipping her ear.

" NO ONE Touches the mask ! " He said full of rage before storming out of the hall. Lady Elloquan stood.

" You're actions against Manarfell have spoken more than you ever will. The attack against the guards and the threat against a ranked officer could be considered as an act of war ! "

" He took my son ! "

" And if you let him talk then maybe you would have found something out ! But instead you chose to rip his mask off, his biggest sense of security. I'm afraid your behaviour and our differences obliges us to send you away. You have an hour to leave the island. One more rash action against Manarfell and you have war on your hands, now leave !" She pointed at the door, Stoick put his helmet back on and walked out followed by the small Viking party.

" I'll have him one way or an other ! " He snarled.

* * *

Gadron spent the rest of the day curled up on his bed, his mind was a wreck. Toothless was nuzzling him, desperately trying to get a response, but nothing came. Tarn tried to get through to him through words, but he didn't succeed. Late at night, the teen got up and sat at the table with Tarn, his hands were trembling and his voice was shaky.

" I've got to go back...I have to face it."

" Why ? "

" It's not gonna leave me alone...It's gonna haunt me forever until I settle this...Worse, they might attack Manarfell just to get me, I don't want them destroying my home Tarn...I won't let them..."

" If you do go back...I don't suppose you'll let me come with you ? "

Gadron shook his head slowly. " I have to do this alone..." He got up and walked out into the fresh night, he walked three hours before coming back into the barn for sleep. As he left, Tarn walked up to Toothless whose eyes showed nothing but extreme worry.

" He won't be alone you know..." Toothless crooned back at the boy, who spoke slowly but sadly. " He'll have you. He'll need you. Just like when he still lived back on Berk, you have to take care of him. Can you do that ? Can you take care of our brother ? "

Toothless nodded slowly and sadly before turning back to watch the black figure slowly disappear in the dark.

* * *

 **The end approaches...Now I'm sorry this doesn't turn out to be the epic tale you might be expecting or the tragedy you would like...This ending may be a little anti-climactic for some and I understand that but just remember that this is merely an idea that sprouted from a very bored lad's mind so...yeah...**

 **If you want an alternate ending and have the courage to write then by all means ! Take my characters and plot and turn it into something better ! On two conditions though :**

 **-Mention me at some point in the story so people know I wrote the original**

 **-Send me a link to your work so that I may admire the modifications...I wanna know what you would have liked !**

 **Ending in a couple of days...**

 **Rant Over !**


	17. Chapter 16 : End

**Right so here's the last chapter...I'm not very proud of it, in fact I do believe it suffers from a severe case of anti-climaxis. As in one might expect an epic unwinding to the building up i've riddled my chapters with, but then it all comes down to it, it might just be a small pile of rubbish.**

 **Epilogue will follow !**

 **Rant over**

* * *

Stoick was walking home from a meeting with his war council. They had come to the conclusion that even with all their allies they would come nowhere close to over-throwing Manarfell, especially if the bastard had dragons. The poor man was so blinded by hatred that he was ready to put the lives of his people in danger just to kill that man. His his hands curled into fists. He trudged on until he stood before his front door. The wooden door bore a note, pinned to the planks by a black metal bolt. Stoick knew exactly what it meant. He opened the note and read it's contents with a creased brow.

 _To Chief Stoick the Vast of Berk._

 _We need to talk...Village plaza, midnight. No fighting, just talking._

Fine. He would let him talk, then, once the fiend finished his blabbering he'd gut him like a pig.

* * *

The whole village was there, all furiously discussing in a constant buzz what the stranger would have to say. The moon floated high above the trouble, shining brightly, something blotted it out for a thousandth of a second, but only Gothi noticed. She prodded Gobber in the shoulder who proceeded to call for silence. Everyone turned to look at her, wondering what she would get Gobber to announce, but she simply pointed up at the roof of the forge. Two massive green eyes looked down at them, the pair hopped down in the middle of the crowd of Vikings who stepped back in fear. The boy leaped off the saddle and and brushed his shoulder-pads free of dust or dirt.

" No...' Night Fury ! Get down ! ' " He joked, the crowd simply glared back, not joining in with his chuckling. " Ok...All business uh ? Well let's get to it then..." He drew his crossbow and handed it to Gobber who took it and held it up before him, admiring the machinery. The boy drew his dagger and held it by the tip towards the blacksmith who immediately grabbed it and recognised it.

" Tha's Hiccup's dagger ! " The Vikings growled and grumbled. Toothless showed his teeth but was calmed by Gadron's palm on his head.

" How did you get that ?! " Bellowed Stoick.

" Let me explain..."

" No ! You're a scumbag liar and traitor to your own race ! You took my son and now you will pay ! " Stoick took a step forward but was surprised to see the frail dark figure do the same while pointing an accusing finger at him.

" Do you really think I left the safety of my home to endanger my brother and I just to lie to Vikings who remain blind to the truth ? " The silence that followed was absolute. A single Viking at the back spoke up.

" You shot me in the foot ! "

" Yeah...Sorry about that...But you were gonna beat the shit out of me. " Apologized Gadron as he turned to Astrid, who leant on her axe while glaring death at the stranger, but her look simply bounced off his mask before reaching his emotions. " And answer your other accusation : You have no proof."

" You left Berk and he was gone ! " Answered the chief.

" He was gone before I made my appearance, if only you'd notice."

" How dare you !"

" Although I do have an explanation..." The silence returned. " But if you want to hear it...You have to drop your weapons, what I have to say is upsetting."

" We won't ! " Yelled one.

" Go to Hel ! " Shouted another.

" Do you want to know or not ?! "

It took a while, but eventually Stoick bellowed. " Drop em' ! " The sounds of iron and wood clattering filled the air for a minute before subsiding.

" Thank you...If you remember a particular night, there was a raid. Hiccup had left the forge with a bola launcher he had made which had uh...' Mild calibration issues ' " He turned to Gobber, but he didn't laugh. " Anyway he claimed to have shot down a Night Fury. As usual, no one believed him and he was scorned by his father. But immediately after being sent back to the house, he left for raven point. " The boy pointed over to the cove, many Vikings noted that he seemed to know the island very well. " He wondered the woods all morning and didn't find anything, but he eventually stumbled upon the dragon. It was utterly helpless, it was still tangled in the bola's and it's tail-fin was ripped off." At this point, every Viking glanced over at Toothless's tail to see the black coloured prosthetic.. " At the beginning, Hiccup wanted to kill the dragon and rip it's heart out, to bring it to his father. To prove to all of you that he wasn't ' Hiccup the Useless ', but he simply couldn't...No, he _wouldn't_. He looked down at him and saw himself, full fear and despair. He cut him loose, and before he knew it he was pinned to a rock with the Fury's claws around his neck. But it didn't go for the kill, it tried to fly away but only got stuck in a cove. Hiccup made him a prosthetic that he could operate when they flew and eventually they found themselves soaring as high as they could go and performing the most daring stunts. They grew close...Very close."

" My son would never betray his people, he would never befriend a dragon ! "

" I'm afraid he did. He left, and soon enough he dropped his name. He took another name...Gadron Finred." Gadron reached up to each side of his mask and pulled up over his head. The crowd gasped in disbelief. Stoick stared bemused, the eyes like emeralds were unmistakably Hiccup's , his hair was shorter, a pale and flaky burn scar crawled up his chest and shoulder to his right lower cheek.

" Hiccup ? " Uttered the big chief weakly.

" I tried to show you, that dragons aren't what you think they are. But as usual you didn't listen."

" Why ? " Stoick was on the verge of tears.

Gadron put an arm around the Night Fury's neck." Because Toothless loved me for who I was...He supported me when you all brought me down. I didn't come back to stay...I came back because this would haunt me for the rest of my life if don't confront it. So now you know, hate me, miss me, forget me...I don't care. I've got a home and family, something Berk couldn't provide. I came back to find peace."

He drew the mask back down on his face and walked over to Gobber, who simply stood there like everyone else : Totally flabbergasted. " Thanks Gobber, you always helped me get through the day. " He took his dagger and crossbow, sheathed them before walking over Fishlegs. He handed a folded sheet of paper to the boy. " Documentation about the Night Fury, I know you'll want to add it to the dragon manual." The boy then resumed to walk over to Snotlout, he stood before him before saying.

" I always wondered how those little legs could support such a massive ego." He then proceeded to perform a powerful and satisfying high kick in Snotlout's face which knocked him to the ground unconscious and with a bleeding broken nose. No one helped him up.

The dragon rider climbed on the Toothless's back and pointed to Astrid warningly.

" Remember, _no one_...Touches the mask."

And the pair shot up, disappearing in the night sky. It wasn't long before Gadron burst into tears, they landed in the cove, Toothless nuzzled his human. The boy had been strong for too long, they spent a whole hour in the cove as the teen recovered from his emotional crash. They ate some fish and set off into the night, they both wanted to reach home as fast as possible.


	18. Epilogue

_Gadron Finred returned to Berk only once, to attend to his father's burial. As his brother through friendship, I can honestly say that he lived a happy life and his past left him be. His contributions and actions for Manarfell and to those around him will forever be remembered. And we hope that one day, another Night Fury rider will take his place, to bring peace and progress to his home, wherever that may be._

 _The end._

 _Tarn Oligvald the second._

Embla closed the book and rested it on her lap. She sat up in her bed for quite some time, the only light in her room was the dying candle on her bed-side table. The girl was only fourteen, and she fiddled absent-mindedly with her long, loose blonde hair. She had read this book five times already, people called her " the book guzzler "...Amongst other names. She was unfortunately, quite unpopular and was regularly mocked for her unsociable ways. No one shared her passion for dragons and dragon-riding, a custom that has long since been forgotten. There hadn't been a dragon rider in seventy years, no has managed to tame the beasts since. But she read with marvel and awe about Gadron Finred, a man who could train any dragon, who found the right rider for the right dragon and who started the most beautiful bonds. She often stopped before the black metal statue that stood in the town plaza. The man stood tall, slender but proud with his mask. His dragon brother, Toothless Finred, stood by him with his tail wrapping around his human's legs. They were an admirable sight, but merely a memory of a better time when dragons were still friends.

Many foretold the return of a Night Fury rider, who would bring back the lost friendship between dragons and humans. " For Dragons and Men " Was his motto, the Finred line was not maintained by either man or dragon. All that remained were the tales told to children and the contents of this book, written by Tarn Oligvald, the great council member who defeated the Teaknaa' in the Margin Wars of the South. They say he was weak and frail, but his mind could conjure up the most deadly battle tactics, and his dragon tore ships to splinters and could stop a man's heart instantly. This man, at the young age of twenty, defeated two thousand Teaknaa' warriors at once, both on land and sea simultaneously with only twenty ships and five hundred soldiers. Furthermore, his scientific discoveries shed new light on the people's understanding of the world. And a mighty engraving of him, lay above the doors to the Room of Scrolls.

People said Embla lingered in the past too much. That she would speak of nothing but of a time long gone. She closed her book and leapt out of bed, she got dressed and left the house noiselessly. She often wandered in the woods at night, it helped clear her mind. There was a particular clearing, surrounded by rocks. It had a strange and unreal feeling of peace every time she visited it, like it was sacred in a way. She found herself in that same clearing, as she mused on the past glory of her home her legs gad taken her to her true haven. Where she wasn't mocked or bullied. Where she could be herself.

A dark shadow swept across the tree-line, two massive blue eyes stared at the girl. She gasped when the creature came into sight. Dark, slender but elegant, illuminated by the moonlight and the silent glow of it's ocean blue eyes. It's left ear flap was missing. Embla could recognise this creature even if she was blind : _Night Fury !_

She remembered Gadron Finred's words, dancing across the pages of his books on dragons. She knelt, closed her eyes, turned her head away and extended a hesitant hand. She felt the dragon's nose against her palm. A smile crept up the side of her mouth, something she didn't do often.

 _'Earless' ?_ She thought.

Dragons will fly with humans once more in Manarfell. This was only the beginning of a wonderful bond. Both of them needed it.


	19. Can I Ask You A Question ?

Dear Readers.

Let's get to point : I believe that any story whatsoever must be appreciated by at least one other person than it's author for it to be considered a good story. I am considering writing a sequel to _He Can't Be From Berk Right ?_ ( or HCBFBR? ). But my dilemma lies here :

\- I long to write an adventure story. I seem to be taken by an obsession related to ' Hiccup runs away ' stories. I am already trying to write another story, _The Curious Tale of a Pair_ , though I must admit it doesn't seem to be doing to well. Ideally, it would consist in a long series of smaller adventures that will slowly carve out the new Hiccup and Toothless from the point where they run away. It will obviously be very different from HCBFBR?. So far the only comment I have received on this story reads a single word : 'Stupid'. So It definitely doesn't fit my criteria of a good story, and like any author, I want to write a good story.

\- Many want a sequel, but I'm not sure if I want one...I have no ideas and I have no clue what general shape it would take. And I don't think I would be comfortable writing about Embla, she isn't a character I ever planned on developing. For me, the interesting one is Hiccup, and probably always will be.

So here is my question :

Should I persevere on _The Curious Tale Of A Pair_ ? If so, what's wrong with it ? Should I start over and write it better ? Are some details annoying you ?

Or

Should forsake _The Curious Tale Of A Pair_ and start the sequel ? If so, what general shape should it take ? for example : Should Embla run away and return, or should she stay and struggle to return Manarfell to it's former glory ect...?

Note that if I am to write the sequel then I need to know what general type of story you would like to read. From there, I should get my internal creative machine to iron out the actual detailed plot-line. If you have any specific suggestions for either possibility then PM me so as not to spoilers.

Note also that what I suggest are merely two possibilities, that means that if you want an entirely different story or something else, then know that I am absolutely open to suggestions.

Your feedback is much needed and entirely appreciated in all it's aspects. ( Even if it's a single comment that just reads 'Stupid' )

Thank you.

Elliot.

Rant Not Over !


End file.
